Betrayal
by randomteenager
Summary: Innocent Haruno Sakura of Team Kakashi—who secretly works for Orochimaru. Pretends to fall for Sasuke, let’s him get the curse mark by Orochimaru on purpose, and doesn’t do anything about it. After all, it’s all part of a mission, all just an act...right?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:**** Boy, reading this over again is just forcing me to edit my grammar.**

**Disclaimer:**I don't own Naruto, or the characters.

* * *

**Betrayal – Chapter 1**

Summary: Innocent Haruno Sakura of Team Kakashi…who secretly works for Orochimaru. Pretends to fall for Sasuke, let's him get the curse mark by Orochimaru on purpose, and doesn't do anything about it. After all, it's all part of a mission, all just an act. But what if Sakura's not acting anymore? What if she really has fallen for Sasuke?

* * *

"_Do you understand what you are to do?" Orochimaru's voice hissed, his snake eyes piercing darkly. The figure merely nodded in response. Orochimaru's snake-like purple tongue licked his lips. "Good…" he said, "then go off and complete your mission… Sakura." _

_12-year-old Sakura knelt down, quickly disappearing from sight. She recited her mission in her head, _Go and get inside Team Kakashi's squad. Don't show off my skills. Act like I've fallen for this Uchiha Sasuke. Act like a good innocent kunoichi until Orochimaru-sama is ready to give Sasuke the 'mark'. Stay undercover. Make sure no one finds out Orochimaru-sama's plan… no problem.

_Sakura was told to let nothing happen to Sasuke. She had to protect him with her life, at least until, according to Orochimaru, it was time to take over his body._

_-_

During the Chuunin Exam

_-_

"_Aah!" Sasuke yelled, falling over, covering his hand on the place where the Orochimaru, in the disguise of a female grass ninja, had placed the curse mark._

"_Sasuke-kun!" Sakura yelled out, running over to her teammate's body that was kneeling on the ground. Placing a hand on his back, she asked, "Are you alright? What did he do to you?! Sasuke-kun!" Sakura looked at Orochimaru, yelling "What did you do to Sasuke-kun?!" But her eyes read the opposite; after all, she was only acting. Orochimaru let out an evil grin, pleased at how well Sakura could fake her emotions._

_Quickly looking at her surroundings, Sakura made a small nod towards Orochimaru, indicating that Sasuke had received the curse mark. Orochimaru understood, and quickly disappeared from sight. Not long after, Sasuke fainted. _

I don't know how long I'll be able to keep this all up as an act…_ Sakura thought, holding Sasuke's unconscious body close to her own._

-

-

-

Sakura wiped the sweat off her face. She picked up a shuriken and a kunai, throwing the shuriken in the air, the kunai following right after and deflecting it. Dawn approached, and Sakura gathered up her weapons and headed home.

Sakura sighed, _That was enough training for one day…_ she thought to herself. On her way home, she noticed a boy about her age, fifteen years old. She quickly recognized him as her teammate in Team Kakashi, Uchiha Sasuke.

Sakura watched him, sweat covering the handsome face of the boy as he trained. But Sakura had long grown out of her "fan-girl" phase, therefore wasn't as obsessed with him as she used to be. Sure, she still cared for him, but treated him more like a teammate and friend rather than his never-to-be-persistent-girlfriend—or target.

Sasuke continued to train, throwing kunai in the air deflecting them with shuriken and moving to catch both weapons that were falling in opposite directions in a matter of seconds. Then he'd take five kunai and jump in the air, throwing them at the set-up targets. He used two shuriken to deflect two of the kunai, making them go in a sharp diagonal direction, hitting the bull's-eye of the target as well as the other kunai he threw.

_Just like how my brother used to do it…_ Sasuke thought, his mouth forming a deep frown at the memory.

Sakura watched in awe at Sasuke's skills. She made a mental note in her head to report it to Orochimaru. After all, she would always have to serve him; she swore an oath to him. And ninjas never go back on their word.

Sakura's emerald orbs saddened. Over the years she had been with Sasuke, they had grown closer, in a bond similar to what Naruto and Sasuke had, but in a way different because it was boy and girl, not boy and boy.

But she remembered that she could be nothing more to him other than a teammate or else she would jeopardize the mission, according to Orochimaru. When she had first been told that, she thought it was no problem. After all, she didn't know what this Uchiha Sasuke boy looked like.

When she finally did meet him, she found it wasn't hard to do her role, act obsessed with him. Her young twelve year old mind couldn't help it, he was gorgeous! Sakura chucked, remembering her "obsessive" days.

"Is there something you want, Sakura?" the Uchiha prodigy asked, having sensed her presence long ago but didn't bother to take time out of his training to acknowledge her.

Sakura mentally smacked herself. _I should've been more quiet, he must've heard me laugh…_ she spoke in her mind. Sakura slowly revealed herself, giving him a smile.

"Sorry, Sasuke-kun. I had just finished my training and was on my way home. Then I saw you training so I thought I would observe you, you know, to see your skills. We should know our strengths and weaknesses as teammates, right?" spoke the pink-haired girl calmly, noting how she absent-mindedly said "teammates."

_And only teammates…_ she thought sadly, sadness glazing over her eyes. Sasuke gave a hint of nod before noticing the hint of sadness in her voice.

"Sakura," he called out to her. Sakura looked up, giving him a fake smile the raven-haired boy could easily see through. "Why do you keep on letting your feelings corrupt your emotions?" Sasuke said.

Sakura nodded, realizing Sasuke was talking about her weakness.

"But," he continued, "you do have good eyes that can sense genjutsu, as well as… 'really strong' strength." His mouth quirked after his last comment.

Sakura felt a tingle in her chest as she smiled warmly at Sasuke's version of a "compliment." "Ah, thank you, Sasuke."

Sasuke looked away from Sakura's green eyes. He couldn't stand it when she looked at him like that. It made him feel things he didn't want to feel, emotions. Sakura looked at the risen sun, not realizing that time had flew by so quickly.

Sasuke sighed, "I need to go train…" he mumbled, gathering his weapons and heading off into the forest. Sakura watched him leave before leaving herself, back to her home.

When the kunoichi got back to her apartment, she opened the door. She sensed familiar chakra, putting a couple of her weapons down before proceeding to her living room. "Orochimaru-sama," Sakura said, "what an… 'unexpected' surprise."

Orochimaru looked at her, his death aura radiating off of him. "You know why I'm here," Orochimaru said, "tell me what you have figured out."

Sakura shrugged, "You're risking yourself, coming out in Konoha at this time of day. If you get caught, it's not my fault."

"Just tell me the information Sakura, don't waste my time." Orochimaru hissed, squinting his eyes suspiciously.

_**This snake bastard is really getting on my last nerves…**_ Inner Sakura thought angrily.

_I couldn't agree more…_ Sakura thought back.

"All I know is that Sasuke's increased the power of his Chidori and his skills have improved," she took a breath of air before continuing. "As for Naruto, Kakashi's teaching him how to increase the power of his Rasengan. And Tsunade is busy with her paperwork that she never completes, as usual."

"Are you still her apprentice?" Orochimaru asked.

"Yes, but people are saying that I have strong strength, possibly enough strength to surpass her," she replied. Orochimaru smirked, obviously pleased with his spy's work.

"Excellent work, Sakura. Keep an eye on Konoha for a little longer—the time for me to possess Sasuke's body is coming near."

"How close is it?"

"A couple of months. No need to rush, correct?" he spoke, locking his snake eyes with Sakura's round ones. "Soon you'll get your reward for being so… faithful. As promised."

_**We better!**_ Inner Sakura ranted.

"The jutsu to bring people back from the dead better be worth it Orochimaru." Sakura said, a little bit of venom in her voice.

"Of course Sakura. Just as I promised. Oh, and Sakura," Orochimaru spoke slyly, before taking his leave. "Let go of you're feelings towards the Uchiha." Emerald eyes widened.

_How did he I know I…—? _ Sakura thought, before figuring out the answer. He was a sannin, after all.

Soon the snake master left, and Sakura got up and went to change into her ninja attire. She quickly got ready for her meeting with team Kakashi. Once finished re-sharpening her weapons, she bolted out the door towards their usual meeting place, the bridge.

There, she saw Sasuke, leaning on the rail idly staring at the sky.

_He looks so deep in thought…_ Sakura thought quietly towards herself. Then Sakura twitched, something she normally did after a recent encounter with the great snake sannin. She quickly shook it off and walked towards Sasuke. _Should I tell him about…?_ she pondered to herself

"S… Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked, her voice almost sounding timid.

Sasuke looked down and faced Sakura, locking his dark onyx orbs with Sakura's emerald green ones, showing that he was giving his full attention which he only did rarely. "Hn," the Uchiha Prodigy responded, grunting.

"How would you react… if you found out someone close to you was only acting towards you, and that they weren't really close to you, but just playing the part?" Sakura asked, biting her bottom lip while she waited for his response.

"That already happened to me," Sasuke said in a low, cold voice.

_She just described how Itachi had deceived me,_ Sasuke thought, clenching his fist so tightly that his knuckles turned snow white. His eyes formed into the Sharingan from his high anger while his blood-red eyes bore holes into the ground. He growled at the memory.

-

-

-

"_Why? Why did you do all this?!" young seven year old Sasuke asked. His big onyx eyes stared into the dull blood red orbs of his brother Uchiha Itachi. The corpses' of fellow Uchihas lay unmoving on the ground, the clans' blood smeared all over the roads and walls._

"_To test my capacity..." The older Uchiha answered simply. "As well as yours. I acted like the brother you've always wanted. A brother to look up to as wall you must overcome. Everything I had said to you, done to you, up until this point was a _lie_."_

_Wide onyx orbs widened as large as saucers as he stood there, watching his elder sibling with his mouth gaped._

-

-

-

Sakura gasped, just realizing she had hit an anger spot in the cold, hateful heart of the Uchiha. "S-Sasuke-kun, I'm sorry, I didn't mean—"

"Just shut the hell up," the raven-haired boy answered coldly, clearly not wanting to continue the subject. Sakura placed her gaze upon the ground, feeling pings of guilt for accidentally bringing up such horrible memories.

"Hey Sakura-chan! Sasuke-teme!" young fifteen year old Naruto called out, waving his arms towards their direction. As he approached his fellow squad members, his happy mood calmed down into a serious one.

"What's going on?" Naruto asked, confused as to why Sasuke and Sakura were insanely quiet about his arrival. Normally Sasuke would make a snide remark and when Naruto would argue back, Sakura would scold him.

"Not now Naruto," Sakura stated, her voice barely above a whisper.

_If Sasuke-kun, Naruto, Kakashi-sensei, Tsunade-shishou, anyone from Konoha found out I was really spying for Orochimaru… I would probably never be treated the same. I'd probably be known as a… traitor._ Sakura thought, cringing at the final word.

_I never did like that word._

* * *

**A/N:**** Edit #1 finished, since I just can't stand the bad grammar I **_**used **_**to write with.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I'm not going to put the whole Title of the story and Summary part anymore. Honestly, it's kind of annoying and it takes up space. Just to inform you.**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto in any way.

* * *

**Betrayal – Chapter 2**

* * *

It had been two hours as Team Kakashi waited patiently at the bridge they always assembled at.

And just as their patience was about to wear very, _very _thin, the one and only legendary copy shinobi, Hatake Kakashi, showed up. His eye crinkled as he smiled, his grin hidden as usual behind his mysterious mask.

The silver-haired jounin cleared his voice before starting, "Hey guys, sorry I'm late. See, this old lady was crossing the road and I had to assist her, and it was a long road—"

"Liar!" exclaimed Naruto before azure pupils darted over to his raven-haired best friend, eyeing his strange behavior.

The avenger was giving off an unusually uncomfortable sensation, practically akin to if Sasuke was given the opportunity to kill something, he wouldn't hesitate to. The Kyuubi vessel inwardly gulped, hoping the Uchiha wouldn't take out whatever was bugging him on the poor blond.

Meanwhile, Kakashi chuckled at Naruto's response to his obvious lie.

"Hey, Sasuke," the ex-ANBU called, sensing Sasuke's cold aura. "Quit sulking and get over here. We have training to do."

Sakura couldn't help but be amazed at how Kakashi could easily order around Sasuke, especially the fact that Sasuke would take heed to the commands. But then her mind remembered that the silver-haired jounin and Uchiha had a special bond—both suffering similar experiences of losing everyone close to them, and therefore, understood each other's pain. The blossom-haired girl was brought out of her thoughts as she heard Kakashi speak.

"Today, I feel like going easy on you guys, so for today's training, we'll only do some sparring matches. Understand?" Kakashi's three students before him nodded in understanding. "Good. Sasuke and Sakura will be sparring partners. Naruto, I'll be your sparring partner."

The blonde flashed a toothy grin, "Does that mean you think I'm skilled enough to go against you in your full strength?" He almost leaped at his eagerness to fight the skilled shinobi.

"Not my full strength, but you're getting there," Kakashi replied nonchalantly yet kindly, smiling at his enthusiastic student.

Sasuke's scowl remained on his face as he walked into the forest he was training in earlier. Sakura followed him, knowing that that's what he wanted her to do. As the avenger reached his exercise area, he plopped his body against the floor, positioning himself as his back rested upon the bark of the tree behind him. As he did so, Sakura sat a couple feet away from him, eyeing him curiously from his peculiar behavior.

"Sakura," the Uchiha prodigy called. "Come here."

The said girl nodded, obeying his command as she crawled over, seating herself beside him. "Yes?" she asked, wondering why he had called her over.

"You're a medic nin, right?" asked Sasuke, monotone. Sakura nodded. "You can heal wounds," he clarified, onyx orbs closing as he rested his head back. To his comment, Sakura nodded, again.

_What is he trying to say…?_ the kunoichi thought in her head.

_**I think he wants you to heal him. Poor thing probably got hurt on a mission,**_ her alter ego concluded.

After a few moments, almost as though the Uchiha was contemplating what to say next, he spoke up.

"Heal this for me," he stated simply, lifting his shirt up half way, showing a deep gash on his side.

Sakura studied the wound, gathering her green healing chakra and putting both her hands over his wound. Sasuke winced slightly from the contact, but made no sound of pain.

"What happened?" asked the medic healer softly, out of curiosity.

"I was caught off guard," murmured the Uchiha in a hush tone.

Sakura shook her head. "Not that, I mean what happened to you?"

Sasuke looked at her. "What do you mean by that?" he questioned, his voice firm as he watched her with slightly narrowed eyes.

"You battled Itachi, didn't you?" questioned the blossom-haired shinobi, covering up the tears that were threatening to fall. She shook her head lightly, she would refuse to let them fall, showing weakness.

Sasuke glared at her accusation. "What did you say?"

Sakura looked at him, bright emerald eyes locking with onyx ones. Normally she would find it hard to keep contact with him, but at the moment her mind was too clouded with thoughts to really care.

"These wounds are only something he could've made, Sasuke-kun," the kunoichi answered him calmly. She gave a bitter smile. "Why haven't you given up on revenge?"

"That has nothing to do with you," he snapped back, growling at her as his hands balled up into fists. He quickly covered his wound with his shirt after she finished healing it. "Don't say anything about the person who gave me this wound," his voice was low, but menacing. Sakura was taken back from his ominous tone.

"_What?_ You expect me to just sit here while you continue beating yourself up about revenge on Ita—!" Sakura screeched before her mouth was covered by Sasuke's hand.

"Shut up, Sakura," he ground through tightly gritted teeth, dark ebony eyes flashing dangerously. "What the hell would you know, _huh?_"

Sakura's eyes visibly saddened. _More than you could ever know…_

Lifting her arm, she removed his hand from her mouth. "Fine then, Sasuke-kun. Do whatever you please." She blinked, not believing what she had just spoken, but shook her head despite the fact, pushing the thought to the back of her mind. "Let's spar," she continued. "We've been wasting our time."

Sasuke got up, quickly brushing the dirt off of him. Crouching low, he got into his fighting stance, Sakura (now across from him) doing the same.

The wind blew as the sound of metal clanging, punches and kicks, and blood splashing against the ground filled the air. After ten minutes Sakura stopped, getting down on one knee as she panted for air. Her body was covered in bruises and cuts and her leg was broken while blood fell from her shoulder where Sasuke had hit her with a sharp kunai.

Sasuke walked over to her, a few minor cuts and bruises on his body. After all, Sakura had been careful not to injure his recently healed gash, not wanting to make the wound worse.

"You all right?" he asked plainly, reaching down and helping her up by tugging on her arm then putting her arm around his shoulder as he assisted her standing.

"I… need to go," Sakura briskly stated, quickly leaning her body against the Uchiha's as she hovered her hand against her leg, healing it within a few seconds. Once finished, her leg as good as new, she got out of his grip and headed to her home.

Sasuke let her leave without a word, heading over to where Naruto and Kakashi were fighting. Kakashi blocked Naruto's punch before making a signal to him to stop fighting. The copy nin looked over towards the Uchiha, sensing him almost immediately when he was a little far away.

"Where's Sakura?" he asked, his only visible coal eye searching around him for any sign of the blossom-haired ninja.

"She headed off to her home," Sasuke stated simply, putting his hands in his pocket.

"And you let her go just like that?" the jounin continued, to which Uchiha merely nodded. Upon his answer, the ex-ANBU sighed. "Go after her, Sasuke. Tell her I need to speak with her—it's about the Godaime."

Sasuke grunted before crouching low, disappearing to complete his task in a flash.

-

-

-

Sakura swiftly entered her home, shutting the door behind her.

_I don't want Orochimaru-sama to take Sasuke-kun's body_, the kunoichi thought to herself sadly, a frown marring her pretty face. _Orochimaru-sama was right. I _am_ falling for him… _She sighed, _When I knew I wasn't supposed to._

-

"_Sakura, when I send you on this mission, you have to promise me one thing," commented the snake Sannin, an evil glint gleaming in his eye. _

"_What is it?" young Sakura asked, curiosity etched on her face._

"_Don't fall in love with him," he answered vigorously. "If you do, just know that you can never be together." Sakura nodded, not thinking too much of what her boss had told her, before leaving Orochimaru's hideout. "Oh, and Sakura?" the man called after her in a sly tone._

_Sakura put her attention to him. "Yes, Orochimaru-sama?"_

"_What do you want for making such an important mission for me?" he questioned, hiding his deceit beneath his feign genuine tone. After all, he knew he was not going to give her whatever it was he asked her._

_Sakura, in response to the question, looked thoughtful for a moment before reaching her answer. "I want you to teach me a jutsu that can bring the dead back to the world of living."_

_He gave her a malicious grin. "Agreed." _

_Sakura stared at him, blinking innocent large sea green eyes before taking her leave._

-

"Before, I was doing this to bring my parents back," Sakura murmured to no one in particular. "But now I'm doing this to bring Sasuke-kun's clan back. But I'm still going to be betraying him… so what's the _point_?" Sakura's anger rose as she punched the wall of her living room, making a cracked indent. She sighed heavily in frustration.

-

-

-

Sasuke jumped from tree to tree as me made his way over to Sakura's house.

_Why did she leave in a hurry?_ thought Sasuke idly before roughly shaking the thought from his head. Closer and closer he was to approaching the Haruno estate.

-

-

-

"Sakura," a curt voice called out.

The said girl whipped around, alarmed as she quickly took out a kunai from her holster and held it out in defense.

"Tense as usual, aren't you, Sakura?" the voice continued, revealing it's identity as the being came out from the shadows.

Sakura instantly calmed herself upon seeing whom it was, putting her kunai back in her holster located on her hip. "What do you need, Orochimaru-sama? I don't have any new information for you. I didn't ask for you either, so why are you here?"

"I wanted to see for myself how you've been on this mission. I wanted to see how you complete the task with my own eyes. Does that answer your question?" he answered her before an evil smirk crossed his face. "Besides, Sasuke-kun is coming here. I can sense his chakra approaching very quickly, so I want to see you in action." Sakura's heart instantaneously started pounding rapidly in her chest upon hearing the news.

_Sasuke-kun's_ coming_?_ Her eyes broadened in a frantic manner. _He can't come—not with Orochimaru here!_

_**Calm down,**_ Inner Sakura advised. _**Just keep it cool and make sure Orochimaru approves of the behavior we display and nothing will happen to Sasuke-kun.**_

Immediately after her inner's advice, Sakura took a breath, keeping her emotions in check. She, too, had felt Sasuke's chakra approaching but didn't bother to say anything, cautiously hoping that the snake sannin wouldn't sense the Uchiha either.

In the meantime, Orochimaru discreetly hid in the shadows, masking his chakra so Sasuke wouldn't sense him nor know that he was there.

-

-

-

Uchiha slipped in from a window he found open at Sakura's apartment, landing lightly on the floor below him.

Onyx eyes darted around the room, looking for the kunoichi until he noticed a light glowing from the other room. He headed over to the light, figuring that Sakura would be there. His ears perked as he had heard someone talking, immediately knowing the low, sleek voice was not that of Sakura's.

"_I wanted to see for myself how you've been on this mission. I wanted to see how you do it with my own eyes…"_

Sasuke listened intently, trying to hear more of the conversation but realized that he couldn't once the voice died down. He could've sworn he knew whose voice that was, but couldn't put his finger on it.

Quickly slipping out of the room, the Uchiha prodigy headed over to where he sensed the blossom-haired ninja's chakra. As he approached, his eyes caught sight of the girl he had been searching for. Then he took a quick look at his surroundings, looking around for anyone else who could be with her, intent on finding out whom was the owner of the voice he had heard earlier.

_Must be Sakura's room,_ he thought to himself, glancing around the space.

"Sakura," he named briefly, making the said person glance at his direction.

"Sasuke-kun? What're you doing here?" she feigned her wonder.

Sasuke sighed, stuffing his hands back in his pockets. "Kakashi sent me to get you. He said he has something to tell you about the Godaime."

Sakura made a silent 'o' with her mouth before sending her leafy green gaze to the floor. Sasuke quirked an eyebrow, noting her strange behavior to himself silently.

"Okay, thanks for telling me, Sasuke-kun. Come with me?" Sakura questioned quickly, fearing Orochimaru would want to question her about what the Godaime wanted. The pink-haired shinobi didn't want to betray Konoha any more than what she was expected to, having grown attached to the Hidden Leaf Village.

_Come with her? Why would she ask me that?_ thought the avenger, having assumed she was over her "fangirling" days of constantly asking him to go to places with her called "dates." He was brought out of his thoughts when he noticed the faint panic in her eyes, and the distress in her voice.

_Might as well…_ the raven-haired shinobi concluded with a sigh as he agreed to go with her to the Hokage's tower. Sakura smiled, quickly gathering her belongings as she sped out of her residence, heading towards the mansion of the Hokage with Sasuke beside her.

"Sakura, what are you hiding?" interrogated the Uchiha nonchalantly, yet firmly. Sakura picked up her pace, hoping to avoid the question as she had an inner battle with herself.

_How does he know?! _she questioned, feeling her heartbeat increase erratically.

_**Calm down, maybe he's not talking about Orochimaru.**_

_And if he is? _Emerald eyes grew in a desperate style.

_**Just calm down, you don't **_**have **_**to answer him!**_

Sakura entered Tsunade's office, confusion appearing on her face as she saw Naruto and Sasuke in the headquarters as well.

"Sakura, I have something I need to talk to you about." Tsunade spoke in a grave serious voice.

Sakura felt herself beginning to sweat as she fret. _Have they found out about my spying for Orochimaru?_ the medic nin thought frantically, emerald eyes broadening vaguely. _How will I be punished? What're they going to do? _Her heart thumped unsteadily in her chest.

Tsunade sighed before she began, "Sakura…"


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: As you read this next chapter, just know I wrote it with a broken finger, just because I care, hahaha(:**

**Disclaimer: **Naruto I don't own.

* * *

**Betrayal – Chapter 3**

"Sakura…" Tsunade began slowly, steadily.

"What did you need to see me for, Tsunade-shishou?" Sakura asked hesitantly, using her will to keep her voice calm and stable.

_Or to see my whole team, for that matter…_ she added mentally, glancing over at her squad members and sensei.

"Sakura, what are you hiding?" Tsunade asked, eying her apprentice suspiciously. Sakura's nervousness grew.

_That's exactly what Sasuke-kun asked me…!_ the pink-haired girl thought.

"Nothing!" Sakura immediately answered, beginning to grow frustrated. "Why is _everyone_ asking me that today?!"

All four shinobi were taken back from her sudden outburst. After all, the Godaime had just asked a simply question. But Sasuke, with his Uchiha pride, didn't show any reaction on his face, merely watched her carefully with his blank stare.

"Sakura, show some respect to Tsunade-sama," Kakashi replied serenely, his tone resembling as though he was scolding a little kid.

"I'm not a baby anymore, Kakashi-sensei. I'm fifteen years old, I know how to act and when to do it!" She was blurting out whatever came to mind, not even bothering to think over what she was saying. It wasn't until after she had spoken that her eyes widened at what she had just exclaimed.

Kakashi gave her a suspicious look as well. "You know when to act and when to act, huh?" the copy nin questioned with a quirked eyebrow.

_She's definitely hiding something—it's written all over her face. And she said she knows how to act and when to do it… I need to figure out what's going on,_ the silver-haired shinobi thought.

"Anyways, Tsunade-baachan, why do you need us here?" Naruto asked, clearly not understanding what was going on. The avenger looked at Tsunade.

_For once, the dobe made a good point. Why does Tsunade need us? Must be a mission…_ he mused to himself silently.

The blonde sannin cleared her voice before speaking. "Right," she started. "The reason why I summoned you all here is because I need you to go on an 'S' rank mission." Her golden almond eyes flashed before she spoke her next sentence. "You are to ambush Orochimaru. Reliable sources tell me that he's been spotted around Konoha."

Tsunade paused, waiting for Sakura's reaction, which she received as expected. The blossom-haired kunoichi was getting more nervous with every word the Godaime verbalized, despite her well attempt at hiding it. But her mentor knew her apprentice and could see behind her deceit. Blinking her eyes, she continued, "Kakashi, have Pakkun sniff out Orochimaru by his scent."

The legendary medic sannin took out a ripped fabric piece of Orochimaru's clothing that had been discovered. She eyed it closely, her face twisting in disgust. The blonde handed it over to Kakashi who retrieved the fabric a few moments later.

Next, Tsunade looked at the four shinobi in front of her. Sasuke, Naruto, and Kakashi nodded their heads showing they understood the assignment. Sakura hesitantly nodded, her eyes glazed over as though she was in another place at the same time.

Sasuke looked at Sakura who was fidgeting uncomfortably.

"What's wrong with her?" the Uchiha muttered to himself.

Having felt a pair of eyes on her, Sakura glanced at the avenger, jade eyes rapidly when his gaze met hers.

_I'm sorry, Sasuke-kun,_ Sakura thought sadly. _I'm sorry Naruto, Kakashi-sensei, Tsunade-sama. I'm sorry… Konoha._

Sakura sprinted to the window in Tsunade's office quickly jumping out of it. She ignored the calls to her calling out her name and telling her to stop, for she did not stop, she kept on running.

She hastily scampered out of Konoha, heading straight towards Orochimaru's hideout. When she reached the lair, she burst the doors open, revealing Kabuto and Orochimaru.

"Konoha's going to ambush against you!" she informed, panting from her rapid, nonstop run.

"What do you know, Sakura?" Orochimaru interrogated, cool as ice.

_I was expecting this. It's about time pathetic Konohagakure stood up for itself,_ the snake-sannin thought.

Kabuto absent-mindedly took a sip of tea that had been placed on a nearby table. During this time, Sakura hurriedly explained what the Godaime had just finished telling her and the rest of Team Kakashi. Once finished, she took a breath, having talked so fast that she didn't have much time for the intakes of air.

"Ah, I see," Orochimaru commented nonchalantly once the kunoichi finished. "Kabuto?"

"Yes, Orochimaru-sama?"

"Please remind our little 'friends' why we are not to be messed with."

"Of course, Orochimaru-sama—"

"Wait!" Sakura shouted pithily. Both Kabuto and Orochimaru stared at her, pausing in their advancement. "Please, Orochimaru-sama, I beg of you. Don't attack Konoha." Upon seeing their narrowed stares, Sakura added, "At least, not now. I'll remind them you are not to be messed with. I'll come back to Konoha in a worn up state, and they'll know how powerful you are. Just please, don't attack Konohagakure, not right now."

Orochimaru gave Sakura a hard, intent look. "Sakura, why are you risking so much for the pathetic little village?" he hissed the last few words.

_Because the boy I love lives there!_ Her subconscious screamed mentally.

Sakura cast her emerald eyes on the floor. "I… don't know." Exhaling a breath of air, the kunoichi carried her feet across the ground, walking outside to the fresh air.

A cool breeze swept through as the blossom-haired shinobi took out her kunai. _For… Konoha… _Swiftly, she stabbed the kunai deep, imbedding it in her upper thigh. She bit her lower lip to prevent the scream that begged to erupt from her mouth. She made many deep gashes in her body, ignoring the searing pain with each bash.

"Kage Bushin No Jutsu," she spoke the jutsu, her voice hoarse from her many wounds, summoning a copy of herself.

"Hit me with these weapons," she ordered her shadow clone. The clone did as it was told, ignoring Sakura's face twisting of pain.

"Orochimaru-sama, I think you should keep an eye on our little Sakura-chan," Kabuto warned, watching closely as the girl continued to inflict self-harm.

Orochimaru smirked at Sakura's expression every time she was injured from her replica. "Oh, I think she knows that very well, Kabuto."

After a few more minutes of torture, Sakura's shadow clone disappeared. As much as Sakura's body was screaming at her to heal herself, the kunoichi ignored it. She dragged her body back to Konoha, her mind screaming at the pain that grew with each passing moment, spreading all over her body.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto had shouted deafeningly upon seeing Sakura burst through the Hokage's mansion.

After Sakura's sudden leave, Tsunade had ordered Kakashi, Naruto and Sasuke to go after her. But the blossom-haired kunoichi had left without a trace, causing Team Kakashi to search fervently around the whole city of Konoha.

As Sakura reached the entrance of Konoha, she sensed another ninja's chakra. She felt no threat since it was a familiar one, approaching the shinobi cautiously.

_Sakura…_ Sasuke thought when he saw Sakura's wounded body slowly walking towards him, reaching closer to him little by little.

The medic healer looked up. _Sasuke-kun…_ she thought before her body gave out on her, collapsing to the floor.

Almost instantly the Uchiha's arms caught the wounded girl before her body hit the ground. Onyx orbs drew to a close succinctly, snapping open as menacing Sharingan revealed themselves. His bloody scarlet eyes widened upon examining the injuries her body.

_The hell—why did she do this to _herself_?_ the young Uchiha thought before picking up her unconscious body bridal style.

He quickly disappeared, leaving behind no trace he was there. He teleported back to the Uchiha mansion, laying her down on a guest bed in a spare room before he tended to her wounds in the way Kakashi had taught him. After all, Kakashi didn't privately teach him merely physical moves.

Once the avenger finished bandaging his teammate, he took a step back, making a few hand seals as he disappeared in a flash, reappearing in front of the Godaime's office.

"Did anyone see any sign of her?" Tsunade voice was heard as she asked Naruto and Kakashi before pointing her question to Sasuke when he walked in.

"No," the three responded simultaneously. Sasuke cast his onyx gaze to the floor.

"Sasuke…" Tsunade warily began, noting the Uchiha's movement.

Said shinobi glanced upwards. "Hn," he responded simply to his calling.

Tsunade shook her head sideways, putting her suspicions aside. "You all may go," she dismissed them with a wave of her hand. Then, she folded her hands in front of her face, exhaling noisily her breath of air.

_Sakura… where are you?_ thought the Hokage when all three ninja left, her mouth forming a frown on her young, beautiful face.

-

-

-

Sakura woke up, wincing at the pain of her body. Her vision blurred, blinking emerald eyes rapidly until she could see objects clear.

_Where am I…?_ she pondered idly.

Just then her mind had a remembrance of what she was doing before she fell unconscious. She remembered walking to the gates of Konoha, seeing Sasuke's form as she walked to him before stumbling, entering the darkness tha surrounded her.

Subsequently, causing the young kunoichi to snap out of her thoughts, she heard a door open and close. Moving her stare, she noticed the raven-haired shinobi leisurely striding over to her.

"I see you're awake…" murmured Uchiha.

Instantly, Sakura avoided his gaze, nodding at his calm accusation. She took another look at her surroundings.

_I'm in Sasuke-kun's room…_ she concluded, noting the plain dark blue walls. Sakura tried to sit up in the bed she was currently in but failed to do so, wincing from the pain dispersing throughout her body. _Ah, I can't move. _

"Sakura," Sasuke voiced, breaking the girl out of her thoughts. The spoken girl nodded to show she was listening. Sasuke grunted before walking next to her. "Sakura, stop playing around and look at me," he commanded her lightly, growing slightly aggravated with her avoiding his gaze.

Heaving a heavy sigh, Sakura moved her verdant stare, glancing upon the seemingly endlessly dark pupils that were Sasuke's. She could feel herself getting lost in his deep, intense stare.

"Why did you do this to yourself?" he inquired, his tone dead serious as he pointed to the injuries on her damaged body. Sakura picked up the blanket, covering up her bandaged wounds, despite the fact that he had already pointed them out.

"What are you talking about?" she fired back.

"Answer the question, damn it!" it had been a long, frustrating day as his aggravations got the better of him. In response, Sakura gasped at his sudden change in tone. Sasuke sighed in an attempt to calm himself down. "Tell me," he continued in a lower, almost inaudible voice, "why you hurt yourself so severely."

"I—I didn't do this. I left because I was going to go to Suna to see if Gaara-sama, Temari or Kankuro had seen Orochimaru around there." Sakura stammered over her words at first, but then gained control of keeping her voice calm and steady as she realized how convincing her lie was. "I saw Orochimaru on the way there," she continued, "I—I tried to fight him, but I lost. He… He did this to me, and I was going back to warn you all of his power… when I saw you, Sasuke-kun. We can't ambush him—he's gained strength! I don't want anyone getting hurt in a failed attempt to—"

"You're lying," he cut her off simply, his ebony stare hard, and cold. "Tell me the truth. I saw with my Sharingan that you did this to yourself. The marks are from the kunai only you have that you specially made for yourself. Don't tell me Orochimaru stole your weapons and hurt you from that because you and I both know that's a lie."

Sakura gasped. Her heart pounded furiously in her chest as she felt tears well up in her eyes. She couldn't hold it in herself anymore. Her tears slipped down her cheeks as her mouth let out sobs. Sasuke cocked an eyebrow.

_I didn't mean to make her cry…_

"I—I'm sorry! I just didn't want anyone to get hurt during our mission against Orochimaru!" Sakura choked out in between sobs.

_Huh, that one sounds pretty authentic, too,_ she thought to herself.

Sasuke's expression softened ever so slightly. "Sakura…"

The medic nin cried harder, looking up at her love's face. Having forgotten whom was in front of her for the moment, she threw her arms around the Uchiha's neck, burying her face against his firm chest.

Sasuke let her hold onto him, resting his chin on top of her head. Feeling slightly awkward upon the moisture he felt on his upper torso, he put his arms around her, rubbing his hands up and down her back trying to comfort his sobbing teammate.

"What you did was understandable, but you can't let your emotions cloud your judgment on the mission. You have to remember that being a kunoichi means you let your emotions go when necessary," he mumbled to her, having taken the bait and believing that was why his teammate was so upset.

Sakura nodded, moving her face slightly upwards to rest her head on his shoulder. As time had passed, Sasuke had come to think of nothing of her leaning on him, having gotten used to it since she always came to him to comfort her when she was an emotional wreck.

But this time, he felt different. He couldn't figure out why, but when he saw Sakura crying, he couldn't help but feel a tinge of guilt enter his mind. He was one that did not like to see women cry, only to come to realize that it was always him that was the source of her tears.

"Sakura…"

"What is it?" whispered the girl in response, looking up at the raven-haired shinobi's face.

"Why… Why do you care for a person like me?"

She noticed he wasn't looking at her, but on the ground. Lifting her head off his shoulder, she kept her emerald gaze upon his pale face.

"Because…" she started, leaning her face slightly nearer to his, "I care for everyone around me." She continued inching closer and closer, her lips only centimeters away from his. Her mind no longer had control of her movements, this was her heart moving. "Some more than others…" she added with her soft voice, still locking her gaze with his.

In the meantime, Sasuke continued to look down at the blossom-haired girl with a hard stare, his expression reading nothing.

Seeing as he wasn't moving away, Sakura closed the distance between them, locking her lips with his._ He's not backing away…_ she thought, hesitant before slowly closing her eyes.

The young avenger merely sat, frozen, having not registered what was going on until a few moments later. _What is she doing…?_

The action was a simple kiss, merely lips pressed against lips, and yet it left him with a mix of emotions he despised himself for feeling.

It wasn't until Sasuke felt a warm and sticky liquid pooling against him that he was broke out of his thoughts. Onyx eyes immediately darting to the source of the warm liquid, he hissed quietly to himself upon what he saw.

It was blood.

Sakura had her hands pressed tightly against her flesh, trying to stop the blood flow as she openly winced from the pain.

_Her wounds opened, _Sasuke registered, everything happening so quickly all he could do was watch his teammate in pain.

"Sa… Sasuke-kun…" she breathed raucously, her body collapsing as she once again entered a state of unconsciousness from the great ache commencing from her wounds.

Glowering at the sight, he stood up, swiftly getting the materials needed to take care of her damage. As he did so, his mind absent-mindedly floated back to when Sakura had kissed him. He sneered, trying to rid himself of the thoughts entering his mind.

_I can't get close to anyone…_ he thought, mentally putting his barrier up once again, and making sure he kept it up. _Not until Itachi's dead._

The Uchiha then consented to giving his aching muscles to rest as he moved on his back, lying beside Sakura's unconscious body.

The whole day had left him physically exhausted as he never did get a chance to rest. First he had training, then meeting with the Hokage, then fanatically finding Sakura after her "disappearance," thus leading to taking her body back to his residence, bandaging her wounds, trying to figure out why she ran off in the first place, followed by her sudden kiss, then having her faint again only for him to close her wounds again.

The shinobi groaned, feeling his muscles tense before relaxing again when he felt pressure on his swollen body. His eyes moved downwards, only to be greeted with the sight of a mess of pink hair.

Apparently, Sakura had fallen asleep after she fainted, causing the kunoichi to unconsciously cling to the side of his body in her sleep.

Normally, the Uchiha would have shifted, feeling slightly uncomfortable at the contact. But the boy was too drained to do anything as he resorted to just leaving her be.

Letting out a silent yawn, his eyelids felt heavy as they lowered, letting the avenger drift into the land of slumber.

* * *

**A/N: (Edit: 8/02/08) Okay, so I edited a few things because I had to fix Sasuke's character in the last part. The way I had previously had it written… it made me cringe how OOC it was. And since this was a story where I could keep him in character, I wanted to do just that. I still feel it was a little OOC, but I'll let it slide for now. **


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Haven't been on the computer lately because I got in trouble, but I'm sneaking on just to write this chapter and get it out. The things I do, hahaha.**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto.

* * *

**Betrayal – Chapter 4**

* * *

Slowly, pale eyelids drew open, revealing sinfully dark onyx orbs. Blood rushed to his head as his vision grayed for a few moments before correcting itself, and while it did so, the events of the day before collided in the Uchiha's mind.

_The kiss…_ he thought, remembering Sakura's action distinctly and clearly. Upon his thought, the young avenger cast his glance downwards, seeing Sakura's messy pink hair as her upper torso rested calmly against his chest. Sasuke sighed, gently prying Sakura off of him before getting out of the bed.

_I need to inform the Hokage,_ he thought, quickly changing into his usual attire and heading off towards the Hokage Mansion. With his great speed that was almost as fast as Lee's, he reached the desired area, having to only merely stand in front of the door for his presence to be known.

"Enter," he heard the Godaime's voice command solemnly.

The avenger complied, entering silently.

"What is it, Uchiha?" Tsunade asked, golden almond pupils blinking as the bags under the eyes from lack of sleep were clearly evident below the area. "Do you have any news of Sakura?"

Sasuke nodded. "I found her right at the outskirts of Konoha. She's currently at my home, sleeping."

Tsunade let out a sigh of relief before nodding. "All right, then—"

"There's something else you should know," the Uchiha prodigy interrupted. "She was damaged severely when I found her. I've bandaged up her injuries, but I will bring her to you for better inspection."

Instantly, the Godaime's expression grew stern. "Are the wounds serious?"

"They are dire, but not life threatening. However…"

"Is there something more?" Tsunade questioned, slamming her fists on her desk. Her eyes flashed as she commanded, "Don't you dare hide anything from me, Uchiha. Tell me how my apprentice is doing."

_She really cares for her…_ thought the Uchiha from the Hokage's reaction regarding her scholar. Nevertheless, he nodded, answering her command, despite the fact that he despised being ordered around.

"The wounds she has are self-inflicted. She claims that Orochimaru injured her, but my Sharingan prove otherwise. The marks on her body are with the kunai that she made herself. And besides, when she tells me it was Orochimaru, her eyes are clearly lying."

"Did you tell her you knew she was lying?"

"I did. She went into a mess of tears claiming that she didn't want anyone getting hurt from Orochimaru as her reason for her lies."

"And you believed her?"

"I acted like I did to calm her down," answered the avenger coolly, essentially alleging he did not believe her.

Tsunade sighed upon this information. Placing her elbows upon her mahogany desk, she laced her fingers together, placing her hands in front of her mouth. "I'm assigning you a mission. Sakura's hiding something; I need you to find out what. Don't tell anyone about this mission, understand?"

Sasuke nodded in response.

"As expected," answered the village leader. "When she wakes up, bring her to me and I'll look at her wounds. If that is all, you are dismissed."

He gave another nod before his form vanished, disappearing from the Hokage's Mansion. He reemerged in front of the Uchiha compound, briskly entering his residence as he feet lead him to a certain room—the room where he had left Sakura.

When he walked in, he saw the pastel pink-haired girl no longer sleeping as she sat on the edge of his bed, large sea green eyes distant, as her face deemed thoughtful. Her thin porcelain arms were wound around her knees tightly, up against her chest with her head resting against the kneecaps.

"You're awake," the Uchiha stated blankly.

Sakura jumped at the voice that pitched to her eardrums, having not have her senses alert as he had caught her off-guard. However, she instantly calmed, recognizing the low voice of Sasuke's.

"…Yeah," she replied to his question vacantly.

A sudden remembrance flashed across her mind, a fresh heated blush spreading across the porcelain cheeks of Sakura at the recollection.

-

-

-

"_Why… Why do you care for a person like me?"_

_She noticed Sasuke wasn't looking at her, but on the ground. Lifting her head off his shoulder, she kept her emerald gaze upon his pale face._

"_Because…" she started, leaning her face slightly nearer to his, "I care for everyone around me." She continued inching closer and closer, her lips only centimeters away from his. Her mind no longer had control of her movements – this was her heart moving. "Some more than others…" she added with her soft voice, still locking her gaze with his._

_In the meantime, Sasuke continued to look down at the blossom-haired girl with a hard stare, his expression reading nothing._

_Seeing as he wasn't moving away, Sakura closed the distance between them, locking her lips with his. _

He's not backing away…_ she thought, hesitant before slowly closing her half-lidded eyes._

_The young avenger merely sat, frozen, having not registered what was going on until a few moments later._

-

-

-

_I… can't believe I—_ her mind spoke internally before her thoughts were interrupted abruptly by Sasuke's voice. Sakura blinked large emerald eyes.

"Sorry, what did you say?"

"How are your wounds?" Sasuke repeated, his cold onyx eyes scanning her body to see if any of her wounds were open, eyeing the gauze warily.

"Oh… they're fine," Sakura answered. "Ano… Sasuke-kun?"

She could feel Sasuke's burning penetrating ebony gaze flash to her.

"Did I… Did I – last night – do anything… strange?" Her blush only seemed to darken on her face, purposely fully avoiding eye contact with the Uchiha. Her pink lips parted for a moment before she sucked in a deep breath of air, filling her lungs, exhaling it slowly to cool her rising temperature. She swallowed heavily, feeling her suddenly parched throat. "I – I mean… did I… did I really, you know… _kiss_ you?" She squeaked out the last part.

Dark onyx eyes squinted at her question, watching her fidgeting nervously, knowing it was because of the sure awkwardness she felt.

_She doesn't remember? _his mind pondered idly. _…It's better that way._

"I don't know what you're talking about," he retorted flatly.

Thick lashes lowered over distinct jade eyes. _I know what I did, but he doesn't think anything of it? Oh, well… it's not like I expected him to feel anything. I'm on a mission, not to fall in love! If I do, the people I love and care about… they'll—_

"Sakura."

Said girl immediately pointed her head towards him, arms still wound around her knees against her chest that sat at the edge of the bed.

"Yes?"

Onyx eyes shifted as they gazed across the room. "Get dressed. Godaime wants to see you. I don't have any clothes you could use; you'll need go home and find something to wear. It's ordered that I go with you, so get up and let's go."

The kunoichi immediately understood. "What does Tsunade-shishou want to see me about?" asked Sakura, biting her lower lip in anticipation, hoping the blonde sannin hadn't discovered her double agent doings.

"She wants to see your wounds," Sasuke answered dryly.

"Oh."

Slowly, she released her knees tucked beneath her chin, wobbly legs placing their heels against the smooth velvet carpet of the floor. Having not moved much in the past mass hours, she found her legs had almost instantly lost their balance. She found herself stumbling over, arms flailing at her side in a vain attempt to keep her balance.

Instead of colliding against the floor, as expected, she noticed Sasuke move in a flash, catching her before she fell. He moved swiftly, placing her carefully against the edge of the bed, her legs limp against his hold.

"Ah, sorry…" the kunoichi mumbled, casting her emerald gaze to the floor. She placed her palms on either side of her, her long legs dangled off the edge of the bed.

"Hn, don't think about it."

"Yeah, right…" her voice trailed off inaudibly.

Onyx eyes flashed from glancing across the room to the pink-haired girl's head. He arched an eyebrow. _What's her problem?_

Feeling his intensifying stare upon her, Sakura felt her face heat up, a blush dusting her porcelain cheeks. "What?" she asked, wondering why he was looking at her so intently.

In reply, Sasuke didn't bother to answer, merely briskly shaking his head side to side. She blinked at the action, missing him swoop down rapidly, immediately hoisting the kunoichi in his arms, bridal style. The trained medic nin let out a little squeak at his sudden action, instinct leading her as she automatically placed her arms around his neck.

"Hold on," was all he told her, and she didn't have the time to even blink when she found herself suddenly perched in front of her house. After fumbling to get the keys and open the door (at Sasuke's request – more of order – and feeling his heated stare on her face caused her to fumble even more.) Once inside the main room, she shyly moved her distinct jade eyes to his handsome pale face, seeing his onyx eyes not on her but shifting around the small abode.

"Where's your room?" he questioned, his flat voice making the question sound more of a statement.

"Uh, just a few doors down, to your left," she replied to him, fidgeting awkwardly, still in his bridal-style hold. Feeling the wind brush against her skin, emerald pupils glanced around, finding herself in her room, where she had directed Sasuke.

"Here," he spoke, walking over and placing her against the soft mattress of her bed. He could feel her arms slowly release the hold of his neck, almost gingerly. Taking a few long strides towards the door, he turned his head ever so slightly to the right, onyx eyes shifting as he looked back to Sakura against the bed. "Get ready and call me when you're done. Hurry up."

Once finished with his order, he left the room.

Blinking large sea green eyes, it took Sakura a few moments to fully register what he had said before she moved. Her legs still felt shaky against the floor, but she forced her body to balance as she dressed in her usual attire, consisting of her beige skirt with tight spandex short underneath along with her red zipper-up sleeveless jacket with the white Haruno clan symbol sewn in the back.

"I'm ready," she spoke calmly, meeting Sasuke outside of her apartment.

The avenger nodded at her claim, and without an unnecessary word, the two soon approached the Godaime's office in the Hokage Tower.

Without bothering to knock, Sakura grasped the doorknob, giving it a soft twist and she propped the door open.

_((SFX: creak))_

At the sound, Tsunade's head snapped upwards, having just finished signing a document as she set it aside.

"Ah, Sakura, I was expecting you," the blonde sannin said, professional golden eyes examing over the wounds dawned on Sakura's body, not bothering to hide the maternal frown on her face at the battered form of the girl. "Sakura, what on earth happened to you?"

"I just… let my guard down. I'm sorry if I upsetted you, Tsunade-shishou," the girl apologized. Since the death of her parents, Sakura had grown to feel Tsunade had gradually become a surrogate mother, in a way.

"I see," replied the Godaime serenely. She laced her fingers with each other, placing both intertwined hands in front of her face, just below her nose, her elbows propped against her mohagany desk. "Why did you suddenly leave out of my office yesterday?"

Her apprentice tilted her head downwards. "Because…" she began, "I thought I sensed Orochimaru's chakra."

Sasuke furrowed his eyebrows at her response. _A different reason than what she told me… _

Gold eyes shifted over to the Uchiha's dark stare, flashing upon eye contact. The Godaime wasn't born yesterday – Tsunade knew Sakura was lying. But instead of calling the kunoichi out on the lie, the blonde sannin decided to leave it be for the time moment, not wanting to create stress upon why Sakura answering why she was lying in the first place, as the stress would cause the healing of her injuries to slower.

"Uchiha," Tsunade called out, watching the raven-haired male flicker his eyes over to her. "I need you to leave the room to take a closer look at Sakura's wounds. I'm sure you understand."

"Hn," he grunted before exiting the small office without another word.

Sending a nod towards the pink-haired girl's direction, Sakura knew no words needed to be expressed as she carefully discarded her clothing, revealing the thick bandages of gauze wrapped securely around most of her body. The Godaime examined the deep cuts on the porcelain skin of the girl, the thick, dry blood constrasting with her light ivory skin tone. Gold eyes noted the light healing beneath the bandages, courtesy of the Uchiha, Tsunade assumed. Heaving a sigh through her lips, she began nursing and closing the deep gashes on Sakura with her strong, expert medical chakra.

A peaceful silence had taken place during the examination, Tsunade too busy assessing over the wounds in her mind to bother to make conversation as Sakura felt she did not need to strike up mindless chatter. And so she stood perfectly still, waiting until her mentor was finished with her assessment, watching as she took a few steps over to her as she waved her hand with medical chakra seeping through the fingertips against her wounds. It wasn't a few moments into healing that Tsunade finally spoke.

"Sakura… why did you do this to yourself?"

The kunoichi glanced at her, monitoring each reaction she allowed her face to show carefully. _She can tell, too? _

"I didn't hurt myself, Tsunade-shishou. You know me better than to do such a pointless thing."

The Godaime allowed herself to heave out another sigh. She knew there was no point to argue with her apprentice, as she didn't want her wounds to get worse.

"Right, Sakura. You didn't hurt yourself," she retorted evenly, yet her tone held disbelief.

Distinct jade eyes flashed at the sound of her mentor's voice, allowing her self to look at the woman. When the blonde Hokage finished closing the deep gashes marring Sakura's skin, the kunoichi quickly slipped on her clothing, not bothering to spare another moment as she headed towards the door.

Once at the exit to the entrance, the pink-haired girl placed her hand on the doorknob, allowing her presence to linger for a few more minutes.

"…I'm telling the truth, Tsunade-shishou. Why would I act like I'm trying to convince you that I didn't hurt myself?"

Almond eyes showed hints of disappointment._ Act…_ thought the Godaime. _Is that what you have been doing this whole time?_

Sakura noticed, as she quickly glanced out the window inside the oval office of the Hokage's, that night had deemed itself on Konohagakure, the skies pitch black with only streetlights and home lights giving the small village a light glow.

"Sasuke is waiting for you outside," she heard Tsunade speak. "You may leave."

"Thank you for healing me," murmured the Hokage's apprentice quietly in mere polite courtesy, giving a twist of her wrist as she opened the door, stepping without another word out, not bothering to look back.

She took a few steps, emerald eyes glancing upon the lean figure of Sasuke leaning against the outside wall of the Hokage Mansion, arms crossed over his chest with onyx eyes serenely closed.

"I'm done now, Sasuke-kun," she addressed him evenly.

"Aa," he replied, dark ebony eyes snapping open as he leaned off against the wall. His gaze moved from the floor up to the kunoichi's face, squinting slightly at her eerily calm form.

"You know, if there's anything you want to tell me, now would be a good time," Sakura spoke placcidly, noting the Uchiha's intense stare, feeling mentally self-conscious at his fixed look.

At the comment, a scowl formed on the Uchiha's voice. "I'm going to train," he stated briskly, making a simple handseal.

_((SFX: Poof!))_

And just like that, he was gone.

Sakura let herself breathe out a soft sigh, turning on her heel as she headed towards her home. _I think everyone's finally realizing I've been faking everything,_ the kunoichi thought bitterly with a frown.

"…Orochimaru-sama," Sakura called in a murmur when she entered her home, taking a few steps inside. "…I think the mission is beginning to fail. Tsunade, Sasuke, Kakashi, Naruto – _everyone_ is beginning to—"

Emerald eyes watched the dark figure of Orochimaru seep through the murky shadows. "That is not my problem, Sakura. You will make sure everyone will rid of their suspicions – or all your work as of late would have been for nothing."

The kunoichi felt her eyebrows crease at this information. "That's not fair, I've been risking everything for this—!"

"And you will lose it all, at my command."

Her mouth fell open, but she forced herself to close it, feeling an aggravated glower place itself on her face. "How much longer do I have to keep this up for?"

"For a few more months…" came the icy reply of the snake sannin.

The medic nin felt a ping of pain at her heart. _In a couple more months, Sasuke-kun's won't be alive anymore. Or, he won't really _be_ himself…_

"Sakura, what are you thinking about?" interrogated Orochimaru, snake-like eyes slimming.

"Nothing, Orochimaru-sama. …I understand. I'll keep up this little 'act' for a while." She answered back plainly and briskly. Then, thick lashes lowered over deep jade eyes.

_Is everyone going to hate me… when they realize I've betrayed Konoha?_


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:** **Here's the next chapter. If it's bad, don't blame me! I'm trying to figure out where I'm going with this story…LOL my head's full of ideas for my other stories! XD anyways…enjoy this chapter while I'm still sane. Ha-ha**

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Naruto.

**Betrayal – Chapter 5**

Dawn neared as Sakura's breaths became ragged as she increased the toughness of her training. Her training now became similar to Rock Lee's, hard and brutal to the body. _'I will do anything to get stronger!' _she thought to herself, her emerald green eyes full of determination. Little did she know that a certain raven-haired shinobi was watching her train, hidden in the shadows of the branches of a near-by tree.

_'She's pushing her body way past it's limit…Tsunade just healed her.' _Sasuke thought as he watched the kunoichi train. He waited patiently as he decided when it would be an appropriate time to show himself as he concealed his chakra. "I know you're there Sasuke-kun." Sakura said, picking her idle weapons off of the floor. "Do you need something?"

Sasuke jumped out of the tree landing safely on the floor, "You knew I was hear all along and didn't say anything?" he asked monotone. Sakura looked down realizing his statement made her sound quite foolish. "I didn't pay much attention to it." She said, knowing that's all she could come up with. Sasuke just looked at her, remembering what Tsunade had told him.

**Flashback**

_"I'm assigning you a mission. Sakura's hiding something. I need you to find it out. Don't tell anyone about this mission, understand?" Sasuke nodded. _

**End Flashback**

"Why do you strive to become strong?" Sasuke asked, making the question sound more like a statement. The kunoichi gave him a confused look before answering his question. "To show people that I'm not weak. That I'm not a burden." Sasuke nodded, _'That was a reasonable answer…' _

"Sakura." He said. Sakura looked at him. "Do you trust me?" the raven-haired ninja asked. The pink-haired girl looked at him, hesitantly nodding her head. _'Where is he going with this…?' _she thought, feeling her heartbeat beat faster. "If you were hiding anything, you would tell me since you trusted me." Sakura nodded again, taking deep breaths to calm her racing heart.

"Are you hiding anything?" he asked monotone. A flicker of panic appeared in Sakura's eyes, which the young Uchiha caught. "Tell me, Sakura." He said in a calm voice so he wouldn't scare the girl. "Sasuke-kun," she said, trying to make her voice confident, "I, Haruno Sakura, am _not _hiding anything." _'How I wish I could tell you…' _she mentally thought.

Sasuke squinted his onyx eyes at her, "You're lying." Sakura felt a tinge of anger, her face going into a light scowl, "You did to."

"What're you talking about?" Sasuke asked, not taking his gaze off of the pink-haired kunoichi. "When I asked you," she said, a small blush appearing on her cheeks, "if I…kissed you, you said no." _'Kuso, so she knew this whole time.' _He thought, his face showing no emotion. "This isn't the same thing Sakura."

"How is it different Sasuke-kun?! You lied to me!" she cried out, her fists shaking. Sasuke scowled at her stubbornness. "You're hiding something." He said, his voice dark and sinister. Using his blinding speed, he appeared in front of the medic nin. "You are hiding a dark secret, tell me!" he said, grabbing her shoulders tightly.

Sakura's heart was beating so fast that she thought it was about to burst. But she was determined not to let it end, not here, not yet. So the pink-haired girl grabbed the front of the young Uchiha's shirt, "I am not hiding anything!" she yelled back at him, her anger showing in her fierce emerald green eyes. Sasuke let out a low, deadly growl. But Sakura refused let the raven-haired boy have his way.

She got out of Sasuke's grip, making a break in the forest. Sasuke followed her, hot on her trail. Sakura stopped, about a good 100 feet away from her original distance. _'I lost him.' _She thought before she felt a familiar chakra behind her. She was roughly flipped around and was thrown into a tree. A sharp pain hit her back and Sakura bit her lip to refrain from screaming. Sasuke drew his face close, dangerously close to the pink-haired girl. Sakura's body unconsciously began trembling.

"You _are _hiding something." A voice so dark, cold, and deadly it could send anyone running for their life, "If you weren't, you wouldn't have tried to escape like that." Sakura's emerald green eyes widened. _'I've never seen Sasuke-kun like this…!' **'Wow, he's sexy and deadly…note to self, never get on his bad side.'**_

_'Is Sasuke-kun going to kill me?!' _Sakura gasped for air, her nerves causing her to hold her breath unconsciously. "A-Are you going to kill me?" she asked, mentally kicking herself for stuttering, thinking it made her look fragile, afraid, and _weak_. "Not unless you tell me what's going on." Sasuke said, his crimson Sharingan orbs staring hard at her face.

"Sasuke-kun, if I was hiding something, wouldn't I be struggling in getting out of your grip?" the young kunoichi asked. "You were trying to." The raven-haired shinobi said, squinting his eyes. Sakura stared into Sasuke's crimson eyes feeling herself get lost in them. Her eyes fell into a daze look. Her body leaned forward, her head tilting slightly.

Sasuke still didn't move. "Sakura, focus." The Uchiha Prodigy said when he saw her nearing towards him. Sakura's eyes flickered open a couple of times, like she had just woken up. "Let me go Sasuke-kun. I didn't do anything." _'I'm going to have to force this out of her…or trick her into telling me.' _He thought, his eyebrows furrowing.

Sasuke leaned in, pressing his lips against Sakura's. Sakura's eyes widened before she felt herself going into the kiss, and she kissed him back. _'This is the only way…' _Sasuke thought, _'to get out the information needed.' _He was only doing this for the mission Tsunade had assigned him, other than that it meant nothing. But Sasuke would never admit to anyone that he actually _wanted _to do that. It had been on his mind ever since she had kissed him.

Sasuke pulled away, gazing into Sakura's emerald eyes. They seemed clouded and full as she pointed them towards the ground, looking ashamed. "Do you trust me?" he asked again. The pink-haired girl looked up at him sadly, "Hai. But if you…truly care for me, you won't try and find out anything about me."

The raven-haired boy gave her a stern look. "And why is that?" Sakura continued to look at him sadly, and Sasuke could feel a very, very small tinge of guilt. "Because I don't want you to be…more hurt than you already are." She leaned in, giving him a small kiss on the lips before getting out of his grip and disappearing.

Sasuke sighed, deciding to let her go for now. He ran a frustrated hand through his spiky raven hair. He teleported himself to the Hokage's tower. Just as he was about to enter the office, he heard other voices. The voices belonged to Tsunade and Sakura.

"Are you sure about this Sakura?" Tsunade's voice asked, some disappointment in her voice, "Once you resign, I can't assign you back on Team Kakashi. Do you understand that?"

"Hai, Tsunade-shishou. Please resign me, I don't want to be a burden to my teammates. I don't to endanger them with my lack of skill…" her voice trailed off. Sasuke opened the door, both the Gondaime and her apprentice glancing at him.

Sakura's emerald orbs widened and Tsunade just looked at him with a plain look, knowing he was eavesdropping. Sasuke glared at Sakura, "You're resigning." He said, anger evident in his voice, "Why?"

"I'm not going to be a burden to you anymore." _'And I'm not going to get you hurt.' _She thought to herself. "Don't be foolish Sakura!" Sasuke said, his fists tightening so hard that his knuckles were turning white. Sakura felt angry tears forming in her eyes, and no sooner did they form that they started to fall. "I'm just a burden!" she spat at him, "Leave me alone! What do you care what I do?!"

Sasuke remained silent, but his now Sharingan eyes stared hard at her, like boring holes through her head. "Do whatever you want." He said, his voice ice cold. He walked out, slamming the door behind him, causing a crack in the wall. Sakura looked at Tsunade, before shaking her head. "This isn't worth it." She said, her tears still falling from her face. "Sakura." Tsunade said in a calm soothing voice, "I know this is probably the last thing you want to hear right now, but do you want to still resign from Team Kakashi?"

The pink-haired girl shook her head. "Iie. I have other things to take care of right now. But Tsunade-shishou?" The blonde-haired woman looked at her student. "Hai Sakura?"

"Can you give me a mission? One that can get my mind off of…what just happened. One that may take days to finish, nanitozo." Tsunade's almond-colored eyes showed her sympathy and she nodded, handing the medic nin a mission scroll. "Arigato." Sakura said, bowing respectfully.

She teleported herself out of the Hokage Mansion. She quickly raced to her home and went inside, packing her bags. Using her photographic memory, she memorized her mission scroll. She recited it in her head, _'Go to Orochimaru's layer which had been recently discovered by ANBU Black Ops. Undercover, find out what he's planning. There have been reports of him around Konoha.' _

When Sakura read the scroll, she felt confused. It was the very same mission her _team _was assigned, so why was she getting assigned _alone_ if Tsunade was originally going to assign four people? Sakura stuck the question to the back of her mind, deciding not to worry about it for now. When she finished packing, she took her bags which weren't many because she would have to travel, and left Konohagakure.

Little did she know that she wasn't going alone, and that Sasuke, Naruto, and Kakashi had gotten the exact same thing.

**A/N: Okay, I updated! I know what I'm going to do now! Sort of! But, just wondering, do you think I'm moving this way too fast? No? Yes? Please tell me when you REVIEW! Oh, and when do you think Sasuke should discover Sakura's little "secret"? Next chapter? Chapter after next chapter? Because when he does, it's probably going to be near the end…but I'm not sure yet. So anyways, Read&Review your opinions!**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:** **The next part of the story! Woohoo! LolThank everyone who has added this to favorites, alerts, C2 groups, etc. And of course, thank you everyone who has reviewed! As usual, they always brighten up my day! **

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Naruto.

**Betrayal – Chapter 6**

Sakura quickly headed on her way, heading off towards Orochimaru's hideout. _'I guess I'll just warn him about what's coming…' _she thought, sighing as she quickened her pace. A small feeling at the back of her head, a sixth sense in other words, kept on telling her she wasn't alone, but she decided to leave it alone.

Once at Orochimaru's hideout, she stealthily entered inside. She felt a cold metal against her neck and realized it was a kunai. "Give me one reason why I shouldn't kill you." A deadly female voice said. The pink-haired ninja sighed, "Relax Tayuya. It's me, Sakura." The kunai that was pressing against her porcelain neck was dropped as the metal clanging against the floor sound filled the room.

"Oh, it's you. What're you doing here?" Tayuya said, a sneer on her face. Sakura scowled back, "I have information for Orochimaru-sama." The female sound ninja scoffed before taking her leave. Sakura glared at her retreating back before leaving as well towards Orochimaru would be. When she entered the courtyard of his domain she sensed his evil aura. "Orochimaru-sama." The young kunoichi said as she got the snake sannin's attention.

"Ah, if it isn't Sakura." He said in a sly tone, "Come to give your master a visit?"

Sakura remained poker-faced as she said, "I'm supposed to investigate on your plans against Konohagakure. Just thought you should know and be on your guard." Orochimaru gave an evil smile, "You are a faithful one, aren't you Sakura?"

The pink-haired girl gave a sinister smile, slipping her gloves on. She put chakra in her fist, punching the ground and creating a fissure. "Right Orochimaru-sama." She said, before changing her tone of voice to a serious one, "But, when do I get _my _reward?"

"When I am in Sasuke-kun's _precious _body." Sakura mentally shivered from his tone of voice. **_'You're not just going to let him get away talking like that about OUR Sasuke-kun?!' _**Inner Sakura exclaimed angrily, already thinking of ways to torture the snake sannin. _'That bastard…' _Sakura thought, gritting her teeth as she forced herself to nod her head.

"Sakura, I may be a bastard," Orochimaru said slyly while Sakura stood there with a surprised expression, "but I am the person and _only _person that knows the jutsu to bring people back from the dead. Isn't that right, cherry blossom?" The medical nin gulped, nodding her head again.

"Now, go give our 'guests' a visit, hmm?" he said, turning his attention away from her. Sakura blinked her emerald eyes. _'Guest?' _she thought to herself, _'What guests?' _She stealthily made it out of Orochimaru's hideout, standing about 50 feet from the place. Then she sensed familiar chakra of Naruto, Sasuke, and Kakashi coming from different directions.

Not much longer after she had sensed them had they appeared. They all came from different directions as Sakura stood idly in the middle of the forest. Sasuke was in front of her, Naruto to her left, and Kakashi to her right. "Sakura?" Kakashi said, reading his perverted _Icha Icha Paradise _book. "Sakura-chan? What're you doing here? Tsunade-baachan didn't tell us you were coming!" the blond-haired shinobi said, his expression dumbfounded.

"Hn." Sasuke said, that being his own way of recognition towards his female teammate. Sakura gave a confused look before she realized that she was expecting this. _'Of course…' _she thought, _'why would I be given a mission _alone _when it was originally signed to my team? And here I thought Tsunade-shishou finally believed in my abilities…' _Sakura gave her team a fake smile, saying "Well, now we can all do this mission together."

"You honestly thought you would be given this mission alone?" Sasuke said. Sakura, as well as Naruto and Kakashi, directed their attention to the raven-haired ninja. His onyx gaze remained on Sakura as he expected her response. "I-I…wasn't expecting to be doing this alone." She said.

Then she remembered that she was supposed to "dispatch" her guests. _'Wait a minute…' _Sakura thought, adding two and two together, _'Orochimaru knew that Sasuke-kun, Naruto, and Kakashi were coming! And if I go back without killing them, minus Sasuke-kun since Orochimaru-sama needs him for his body replacement Justu,…then he would know that I have care for them and would probably kill them himself… so what do I do?' _

"U-umm…well I already checked the area, and it turns out Orochimaru abandoned it." She said quickly, making her tone sound like it was telling the truth. She hoped that they would believe her. "I think we should check it out for ourselves Sakura-chan." Naruto said.

"The dobe's right, I don't think you gave a thorough 'inspection'." Sasuke said, eyeing the pink-haired girl closely. Kakashi shrugged, "They do have a point Sakura. Just let us handle things."

"It's your funeral." Sakura said, not realizing she said it out loud. "What?" all three male shinobis said. The young kunoichi mentally smacked herself, **_'Great going baka!' _**Inner Sakura said. "Nothing." Sakura mumbled, a light blush on her cheeks. Sasuke growled, "You said 'It's your funeral'. Why?"

Sakura gulped quietly, before thinking of a good answer. "Because, there's a trap. I thought shinobi as talented as yourselves would be able to see it."

"I don't see anything." Naruto blurted out, taking a look at his surroundings. Sakura rolled her emerald green eyes. "Kakashi-sensei, Sasuke-kun, I'm sure you see it." Sakura said, smiling at her cleverness. Sasuke activated his Sharingan, scanning the area as Kakashi casually looked around. "There's nothing Sakura, no traps or anything." Sasuke said, "You're lying."

"Why am I always _lying _in your eyes?!" Sakura said, frustrated that the raven-haired shinobi could always tell through her lies. Sasuke gave her a serious look but Sakura still remained angry, but just took the emotion off her face. "Because you are." The Uchiha Prodigy said quietly.

Sakura looked at Naruto, hoping the dim witted blond would believe her. The kyuubi boy just stayed silence, for once in his life, not wanting to get into an unneeded argument. "Well," Kakashi said, interrupting the awkward silence, "seems like we're going in. Sakura, would you like to join us?"

Then an idea formed in Sakura's head. "Hai Kakashi-sensei. In fact, since my eyes are best at locating genjutsu, how about I go check out the area? You know, to make sure we aren't going into any traps." _'If Sasuke-kun says something against this I'm going to—'_

"But my Sharingan can sense ninjutsu _and _genjutsu, as well as other things." Sasuke said, squinting his now crimson Sharingan eyes. Sakura just looked at him then looked back at Kakashi, waiting for his answer. The silver-haired shinobi shrugged, "Well Sakura, if you're that determined, you can check things out first."

Sakura grinned, nodding her head as she quickly went ahead. The three male ninjas stayed behind, watching their female teammate leave without them. "Are you sure about doing that Kakashi?" Sasuke said, glaring at the jounin and former ANBU member.

"She was desperate Sasuke. Just let it go." Kakashi said, "Right Naruto?" Naruto perked up, like he had just woken up from a sleep. "Huh? Oh…yeah." Naruto plopped down on the ground, resting his right elbow on his knee while his hand held the side of his face. "Bored dobe?" Sasuke said.

"Pretty much teme." Naruto said, just staring at the floor. _'Sakura-chan…I wish you wouldn't be afraid to tell us what you're hiding…' _the blond-haired shinobi thought, easily figuring out she was hiding something. _'I wonder if Kakashi-sensei or the bastard have figured it out yet?' _

Sakura entered Orochimaru's hideout, quickly heading to where she last saw him. "Orochimaru-sama." Sakura greeted, looking at the snake sannin as she tried to hide her disgust, "The 'guests' that you said were coming are Sasuke, Kakashi, and Naruto. And they're determined to come here and investigate what you're planning."

"Then get rid of them." Orochimaru said, "After all, you aren't sociably attached to them, isn't that right?" Sakura gulped, before saying, "I can't handle them on my own. Besides, if I get rid of Sasuke, how will you perform the immortality jutsu on him?"

"They know you're in here Sakura. Figure out how to get rid of them, I know you aren't _that _dense." Orochimaru said in a sly tone. Sakura narrowed her emerald green eyes at the snake master before nodding her head and quickly exiting, heading back to her "teammates".

"Well?" Kakashi said when he sensed the young kunoichi's chakra. "I checked the area…and it has nothing…but—"

"But?" Sasuke said, squinting his eyes. "But there was nothing. The location has moved."

"Maybe you just missed something." Naruto suggested. Sakura glared at the blond-haired ninja, "I didn't." she said sternly.

Kakashi shrugged, "Well, let's go back and report the news to Tsunade-sama." Sakura nodded, feeling the burden get lifted off her shoulders. As the team of four headed back, Sasuke whispered to Kakashi, "You're not going to give up the mission that easily are you?"

Kakashi looked at Sasuke with his only visible onyx eye, "Of course not. But we're not going to find anything with Sakura trying to stop us are we?"

"Aa." Sasuke said simply, quickening his pace slightly. _'I have to report what I found out about Sakura's "behavior" to Tsunade anyway." _The young Uchiha thought.

**A/N: Okay, there ya go! The update! Please Read&Review, thank you!**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: So sorry it took me a while! But look on the bright side, here's the update!**

**Disclaimer:** Don't own Naruto.

**Betrayal – Chapter 7**

Sasuke walked through the doors of the Hokage's Tower. "Tsunade." He greeted in his own way. "Sasuke? What do you want?" Tsunade asked, slightly surprised on the Uchiha's sudden "visit" to her office. "It's about Sakura." The Gondaime nodded, her almond colored eyes narrowing, "What is it?"

"The mission you gave me, the dobe, and Kakashi. Why didn't you tell me Sakura was assigned to complete it too?" The blonde-haired woman narrowed her eyes, "Is this all you wanted to talk about?" The Uchiha Prodigy narrowed his onyx gaze, "Tell me."

"I knew you'd request against it as is you're protecting nature instinct." She answered smartly, folding her hands in front of her face. "Is that all?" Sasuke shook his head, "No." The Hokage made a notion with her hands for him to continue.

"When we were there, she was trying to persuade us to go and turn back on the mission." Tsunade raised a curious eyebrow. _'To stop the mission? Why is it she would do that?' _"She kept on going on about how she had already taken a look at the area and that we didn't need to worry."

"And Kakashi believed her?" The Uchiha Prodigy shook his head, "He said to just go back here for now and go back again without her so she won't get in the way." _'That's what I thought.' _Tsunade thought, taking a deep breath and letting it out. "And what do you think from what you have found out?"

"Her weird behavior has something to do with Orochimaru." Tsunade nodded at his answer, "I couldn't agree with you more." Sasuke raised his eyebrow, "What do I do from here?" Tsunade shrugged, honestly having no idea.

"I guess I have to make the decision, me being the Hokage after all…" she murmured, clearing her throat as she spoke again, "Keep on watching her, try and intimidate her to say the truth, if you can." The raven-haired ninja nodded, taking his leave from the Hokage Mansion.

**With Sakura**

Sakura headed towards her favorite training spot that was deep in the woods where the trees surrounded her every view. She sighed, "At least I got them away…" she mumbled to herself. _'But Orochimaru-sama is going to question me about it…' _she cringed at the thought. She sighed again as she plopped on the ground, her legs stretched in front of her as her hands rested at the side of her body.

She pointed her emerald green eyes at the soft grass. _'I don't get it…' _she thought, _'I could fake everything before back when we were twelve. Now at fifteen I'm having trouble with it…?' **'Maybe it's because you've matured and have actually developed close bonds with everyone.' **_Inner Sakura tried to reason. _'That's a good point…but why now?!' _

Then the young kunoichi heard ruffling in the trees. She immediately stood up from her sitting position, taking a kunai from the pouch placed on her hip as she went into a defensive stance. _'Who's here…?' _she thought to herself. Then she sensed a familiar dark chakra and her body shivered. _'Kuso, not now!' **'Just kill him and get it over with! But before you do that, force him into telling us about that jutsu! Or a better idea, use Tsunade's jutsu and read his mind on how to do it!' **_

"Orochimaru-sama." Sakura said, putting her weapon away as she looked at the snake sannin. "Ah, Sakura. I've been meaning to speak with you. Since when are you so hard to find? You aren't trying to _hide _are you?" the snake demon taunted. Sakura shook her head, "I was training." She answered him, "Is there something you want?"

"Did you get rid of our guests?" He taunted again. Sakura bit her lip as she knew she was expecting this but never gave any thought of what she was going to answer in response to his question. "I…made sure they never came close." She said, "Why didn't you just send someone else?"

"I wanted to test you." He said, "And you have failed. You obviously care for them and wouldn't do my bidding when I said to get rid of them so I'm afraid I'm going to have to dispose of you." Sakura's emerald green eyes widened slightly in horror. "Y-you can't!" She said quickly.

"Oh? And why is that?" The great snake sannin said, taking a kunai out and licking the sharp blade with his purple slimy tongue. "B-because," she stuttered, "I-I just w-w-wasn't in the mood for b-bloodshed. I do n-not care for them Orochimaru-sama." _'Naïve little girl…' _he thought evilly, _'Still not noticing that all she is doing will be going to waste since she's going to get nothing out of it…' _

"When will you teach me the jutsu to bring others back from the dead?" Sakura asked, changing the subject. "Patience my fragile cherry blossom." Orochimaru said as Sakura felt a chill run up her spine, "All in due time." **_'Teach us now dammit!' _**Inner Sakura said angrily, clenching her fists.

"You've been saying that for years!" Sakura retorted. "The jutsu I have been saving up my chakra for is very powerful and has taken years. Do not worry, you're hard work will pay off." Orochimaru lied. Sakura narrowed her eyes at the snake sannin, opening her mouth to say something when Orochimaru said, "Looks like Sasuke-kun is coming. A perfect time to see you in action, right Sakura?" Sakura gulped, nodding her head as to not draw suspicion.

Then she too sensed Sasuke's strong chakra coming towards where she was. _'Why is Sasuke-kun coming here?!' _she thought frantically to herself. **_'Shit! You can't even make up an excuse here without getting busted! Why does Orochimaru always come at the _worst _times?!' _**

A few seconds later Sasuke came through the rustling bushes with his usual stoic expression. "What're you doing here?" he asked, narrowing his eyes in suspicion, "Only I train here." Sakura gave him a confused expression, "What're you talking about? I always train here."

_'Well that explains why I always see her around here…' _Sasuke thought, completely oblivious to Orochimaru's evil chakra since the snake sannin was masking it. Sakura gulped again, her emerald green eyes darting from where Orochimaru was to Sasuke, back and forth.

The Uchiha noticed this and his suspicion grew even more. _'Someone else is here…' _he thought, _'and she doesn't want me knowing.' _ "Who's here?" Sasuke said, taking a look at his surroundings. Orochimaru remained in his hiding spot, confident in his abilities to remain hidden as he remained unfazed.

Sakura, on the other hand, was one step away from becoming a nervous wreck. **_'Get yourself together!' _**Inner Sakura screamed. _'Right, I need to control my emotions right now, no problem!' _she thought, still unsure whether or not she'd be able to pull it off.

Sakura let out a small chuckle, "What are you talking about Sasuke-kun?" she asked, proud of herself for gaining control of her emotions. Sasuke pointed his onyx gaze back at the young kunoichi, "There's someone here. I can sense very faint chakra, someone's here."

"I have no idea what you are talking about." Sakura lied, looking straight into Sasuke's dark onyx gaze. _'There goes training…' _the raven-haired ninja thought to himself. "…Right. Why didn't you want us to complete our mission? The very same chakra that I was sensing then is here too."

_'Damn his sharp senses!' _she thought, not sure of whether or not she would be able to come up with an answer. _'Sakura is so close to falling apart…' _Orochimaru thought, a evil look in his eye, _'Sasuke-kun is _very _intimidating…' _

"I'm sure the chakra you're sensing was a different one Sasuke-kun. There probably were other ninja around us." Sakura said, glancing at Orochimaru with the look in her eye that was telling him to leave. _'Fine, I'll have it your way for now Sakura.' _The snake sannin concluded, stealthily taking his leave.

Sakura sighed, feeling a huge burden being lifted off her shoulders. "Are you going to train?" she said quietly. The Uchiha Prodigy gave her a side-glance. "Hn."

"Can I train with you? Just so I can see your opinion on what I should improve on and what I don't need to work on." Then the pink-haired girl saw a kunai flying her way, so fast that she didn't have time to move and it grazed her cheek. She put her hand up to her fresh wound.

"W-what was that?" she asked. "Something you need to improve on," Sasuke said, "is always having your guard up, even around people like me." Sakura nodded, understanding what he meant. "R-right, silly me."

"Actually, Sasuke-kun, I don't feel like training today…I just did anyway." The medic nin said, looking at her weapons that were sprawled out on the floor. "Aa." Sasuke answered, his eyes searching for a better spot to train. "You don't need to move, I'll just pick up my stuff and you can train here."

The young Uchiha just watched her pick up her weapons, not bothering to help or say a word. When she was done, the kunoichi walked up to him, her emerald gaze looking into his onyx one. He expected her to say "You can train here now." But no such thing came out from her mouth.

Instead, she leaned up, brushing her lips against his before having enough courage to press them together. Sasuke just stood there, slightly confused at to what led to the action. _'Maybe I can use this to get information out of her…' _he thought, sucking up his Uchiha pride.

Then Sakura pulled back, her cheeks covered by a deep red blush. "G-gomen S-Sasuke-kun. I d-don't know what c-came over m—" Sakura said, getting interrupted when Sasuke pressed his lips on hers again as one of his hands held the side of her face. _'Sasuke-kun? What are you doing?' _her mind thought.

_'This is the only way to get information out of her…' _he thought, pressing their lips harder together, _'To trick her.' _

**A/N: Okay, that's all for here. Sorry I didn't update this in a while, I was so captivated in updating _The Dating Game _I almost forgot about my other stories! I know, BAD AUTHOR! . **

**Hope you forgive me by reading and reviewing! D**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N:** **thanks for all the reviews guys! Gomen that I don't update this fast, hope you forgive me about that! I just have other stories too…and yeah. –grins sheepishly- anyways here's the next chapter!**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto. (Unfortunately)

**Betrayal – Chapter 8**

Sakura stood appalled when she felt Sasuke's lips on hers, his hand holding the side of her face closely to his as his onyx eyes were closed. She felt her emerald green eyes close slowly before she leaned into his kiss deciding to make use of the moment. She heard Sasuke grunt before feeling him pull away.

When Sasuke fully pulled back, Sakura's face was beet red with embarrassment. "Sasuke-kun?" she whispered, avoiding his onyx gaze. _'Why did he just…' _she thought to herself, unable to complete her thought when she felt her cheeks growing hotter. **_'It's about time he kissed us!' _**Inner Sakura said. "Do you trust me now?" Sasuke asked monotone.

Sakura looked at him curiously, her face flushed. "D-do I…'trust' you?" she asked hesitantly, making sure she heard him right. Sasuke stared at her intensely making Sakura fidget nervously. _'I guess that's what he said…' _she concluded before clearing her throat. "Of course I do…" she murmured.

"Then tell me." He said abruptly. Sakura used all her courage to raise her head and look him straight in the eye. _'I hope he's not talking about Orochimaru-sama. Oh please Kami-sama, tell me he isn't—'_ "Tell me what you're hiding Sakura." Sasuke coaxed, his stoic expression on his face. Sakura felt herself growing frustrated.

She sighed deeply before giving an angry pout. "W-Wait a minute! First you…" a light blush dawned on her cheeks, "k-kiss me, then you ask me if I trust you, and _now _you're asking me to 'tell you' something?! You're confusing me Sasuke-kun!" Sasuke remained poker faced. _'I didn't make it complex at all, what could she not be understanding?!' _he thought, his eyebrows furrowing.

He knew he couldn't tell her that he kissed her to trick her. After all, he figured that she'd ask him why he had kissed her. And of course, being _the _Uchiha Sasuke, knew what to say. "That was to see if you trusted me." Sakura assumed "that" was his term of the kiss they had shared. Sakura looked at the ground in disappointment. _'I knew it…he didn't do that as a sign of affection…' _

Sasuke saw her disappointed look and mentally scolded himself. _'Dammit, where the hell did that come from?' _he asked himself, _'She'll never trust me enough to tell her if I give her bullshit like that…' _A small silence took place before he added, "And…to see how'd you react." Sakura whipped her head towards his direction, a small glint of hope in her emerald green eyes. **_'See? You're just too negative all the time!' _**her inner self scolded.

"To see how I'd react?" Sakura asked, cocking her head to the sight in a confused manner. Sasuke muttered incomprehensible words to himself giving the pink-haired ninja a small nod. "And what about the 'do you trust me?' thing? Why'd you ask that?" _'I thought you already knew the answer to that question Sasuke-kun.' _Her mind added mentally.

"I wanted to see if, after all the time we've been 'together' in this three-man cell, if you _really _trusted me." He answered coolly. Inner Sakura snickered, **_'That has to be the most words he's said his whole life!' _**Sakura pushed her inner self to the back of her mind. She fiddled with her fingers absent-mindedly, "And the part to 'tell you' something? What was that all about?"

Sasuke felt his impatience rising and forced himself to control his annoyance. _'Kuso…she asks so much questions…' _he thought. He ran an annoyed hand through his spiky raven hair and Sakura bit her lip, knowing she had annoyed him. "Gomen Sasuke-kun." She mumbled, "It's just…this is so unlike you…" The Uchiha Prodigy looked at her realizing that she had made a point.

"People change…" he muttered even though he knew very well that he was lying. He, Uchiha Sasuke, hadn't changed one bit ever since the Uchiha Massacre. "I trust you…" she said quietly, "…I trust you enough to tell you this. Whatever you are trying to get out of me, don't bother and just ask me…nanitozo."

"It's not that easy Sakura." He answered back to her. The raven-haired shinobi groaned. _'You could be betraying Konoha.' _He thought scowling, remembering how Itachi had betrayed Konoha by killing one of the Hidden Leaf Village's strongest clan. "Please understand that I can't tell you _everything…_" she said, raising her quiet voice slightly.

Sasuke gave her a serious look at what she had said, "Why not?" Sakura bit her lip nervously, "B-because…" she said before not being able to take it anymore, "b-because…I-I…just can't!" The young Uchiha wasn't satisfied with her answer. He gripped her shoulders tightly, "You _are _hiding something." He said in a low, threatening voice, "Do you trust me enough to tell me?"

"If I tell you, you'd tell other people." She retorted, "Then the news will travel to the Tsunade-shishou and she'll kill me!" Sasuke growled, clenching his teeth before pulling the pink-haired girl in a tight embrace. The young kunoichi gasped when she felt his strong arms wrap around her torso tightly as they crushed her against his hard chest. _'Why can't he understand that I just can't tell him?!' _she thought to herself sadly. **_'Why not trust him? What's the worst he can do?' _**Inner Sakura suggested.

_'I'm not worried about what _he'd _do…just about what everyone else would do.' **'And what he'd do too. Don't lie about that.' **_Sakura lowered her head, resting her head on the Uchiha's chest as she pointed her gaze towards the ground. "Sasuke-kun…" her voice was stifled against the raven-haired ninja's shirt. His grip around her tightened and the medic nin felt the Uchiha Prodigy rest his chin on the top of her head.

_'This is just too much for me!' _she sadly admitted, making up her mind, _'I have to get out of here…I can't stay!' _She struggled , trying to get out of Sasuke's strong grip. "Why are you struggling?" he whispered to her. Sakura felt her heart leap when she heard his smooth voice. "Gomen, I can't do this." She admitted much to her disliking. "Why won't you tell me?" the Uchiha said, his anger forgotten.

"Because I don't want anyone hurt." She heard the raven-haired shinobi sigh. "You're hurting everyone by not telling any of us." Sakura bit her tongue, refusing to let _anyone _know about her serving to the enemy snake sannin. _'That's it…' _she thought, _'I'm getting out of here NOW!' _She pounded her curled up fists on his chest. "Let-Me-Go-Sasuke-kun!" she said, pausing in between each word to let out a cry of frustration.

"You've changed." Sasuke said, a blank expression on his face, "When we were genins, you'd die to be in this position with me wouldn't you? And at times you were…even though it was you hugging me." Sakura cringed when her mind remembered the memories. _'But I was _acting_!' _her mind screamed. "That…I…" she sighed, "Let me go Sasuke-kun. You and I both know you don't really feel this way."

The Uchiha Prodigy didn't move. This displeased the pink-haired kunoichi. She raised chakra to her fist. "You don't feel this way." She whispered, "So don't pretend like you do." She pushed her chakra-filled fist against his chest, effectively pushing her back a good distance away from the raven-haired ninja. She gave him a sad smile, forming a few hand signs before disappearing.

Sasuke cursed himself silently. _'She's not easy to break…' _he smirked, _'looks like this won't be easy.'_

**With Sakura**

Sakura ran to her home, running inside and locking the door behind her. She sensed Orochimaru's chakra, and for once, she was glad he was there. "Orochimaru-sama!" she called out walking into her living room where she saw the S-class ranked shinobi. "Orochimaru-sama." She addressed again. He at her, his snake-like eyes in slits that sent disturbing chills up Sakura's spine.

"They're catching on Orochimaru-sama." Sakura said, "Especially Sasuke-kun. Everyone's giving me suspicious looks!" Orochimaru shook his head mockingly in disappointment. "Complain after complain, eh Sakura?" **_'That bastard!' _**Inner Sakura snarled, **_'Does he think this is _easy _for us?!' _**

"This isn't easy." She gritted through her teeth. "If you react to their suspicions," Orochimaru replied back, "they'll know you are hiding something. These are basic skills Sakura, I thought you knew better. Maybe someone should take your place…" Sakura cringed. "Take my place?"

The snake sannin let out an evil smirk, "My 'replacement' would take your place and kill them, bringing a half-dead Sasuke-kun to me so I could perform the jutsu I have been saving up my chakra for so long." **_'Damn him!' _**Inner Sakura cursed. "N-no, that won't be necessary." Sakura said quickly, mentally scolding herself for stuttering, "I'll deal with it." Orochimaru chuckled evilly, "Will you now? Just not long ago you were complaining. Then I bring up the suggestion of killing them and you deny feeling uncomfortable?"

He got up, slowly making his way towards her and Sakura's body tensed. "You care for them, don't you?" he said, his tone of voice making Sakura worry about the safety of Team Kakashi. "I'll kill them if you tell me to." Sakura answered quickly, "I just want to be the one to do it. I want to see them hurt and astonished when they realize I've been _betraying _them all this time." She bit her tongue, knowing that most of what she said had been a lie.

"We'll see about that. Next week, you will bring me Sasuke-kun's body. I'm going to be transforming into his body, the time has come." Orochimaru said, "I expect that using your power, that is have said to surpass the Hokage's, that you will kill everyone that you have _pretended _are precious to you." He stuck out his purple slimy tongue, licking his lips in an evil manner.

Sakura nodded and then the powerful snake sannin disappeared out of sight. _'Next week?' _she thought sadly, knowing that she couldn't disobey her "master" unless she wanted to learn the jutsu that could bring the dead back to life. '_Looks like everyone only has one more week to live…' _

**A/N: Sorry if this is short or whatever, I'm thinking of making a new story right now so I'm going to type up a chapter on that. Lol, I just made a new story (Demon's Fall) and I'm thinking of getting another one up? I'm a weird author huh? Hehe, anyways, Read & Review!**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N:** **Thanks for all the reviews! –squeals– this is my second story with the most reviews! I'm happy! –grins– so hope you enjoy this chapter!**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto.

**Betrayal – Chapter 9**

_'Just one week. In one week, everyone I have been "close" to will be dead.' _Sakura thought repeatedly, the words unable to get out of her head. _'I don't know if I can do this…' _she bit her lip nervously, her emerald green gaze staring at the floorboards of her apartment. The young kunoichi sighed at the idea that formed in her head. _'I could just leave Konohagakure…' _

**_'Baka! Then Orochimaru would come after you! Besides, where would you go?' _**Inner Sakura scolded. But Sakura had already made up her mind. She packed up a few of her things in her apartment, leaving the rest unpacked as she formed a few hand seals, teleporting herself to the Hokage's Mansion.

Sakura lifted her fist to knock on the door of Tsunade's office when she heard "Come in." from the Gondaime. Sakura took a deep breath before entering the blonde-haired woman's office. When she got inside, she took a seat a few feet away from Tsunade's desk. "Yes Sakura?" Tsunade asked, not taking her eyes off her work as she continued to scribble down words onto it.

"Tsunade-shishou…" Sakura breathed out. The Hokage glanced at her, her golden almond eyes studying her nervous complexion. "I was wondering if…" the pink-haired girl said quietly, "I could have a mission that took place from the outskirts of Konohagakure." Tsunade folded her hands in front of her face, resting her chin on top of her folded hands. "And is there a reason you want a mission like that?" the blonde-haired woman asked. _'Let's see what she can come up with…' _she thought, seeing through Sakura's fidgety movements.

"I just wanted to get out more. Everyone's telling me I already study too hard…" Sakura let out a bitter chuckle at the last statement. Tsunade nodded, "Very well. If that's what you want." The Gondaime reached out a mission scroll along with a wrapped up katana. "On the mission scroll, you'll see it says for you to deliver this katana to the Hidden Moon Village. I expect you back here in four days, a week at the latest. Sakura, this mission may be dangerous so always be on your guard. There are enemy ninja that want that katana; it is a very strong blade. Understand Sakura?"

"Hai. Arigato Tsunade-shishou." Sakura bowed respectfully before taking the mission scroll and katana in her hands. Sakura turned to leave before she looked over her shoulder saying, "Oh, Tsunade-shishou?" Tsunade glanced at her and Sakura continued, "Is it alright if I take a visit to the medical lab? I just want to make or find a few medicines to take along with me for this mission. You know, just in case I run into enemy ninja and have to fight."

"Go ahead Sakura." Tsunade said, putting the uneasy feeling she was getting to the back of her head. _'Sakura's my apprentice…I can trust her.' _Even though she was thinking the exact opposite in the back of her head. Sakura smiled, "Arigato. I'll be going then." And she closed the door behind her, making her way out of the Hokage Mansion.

She stealthily made her way inside the medical lab, walking towards the mixtures of chemicals. She made a few healing medicines from what she had learned from reading. When she finished, she made one last mixture. She picked up the labeling and carefully labeled each one, the last bottle labeled _Fake death_.

The emotional burden of having all her friends' lives in her hands troubled her. _'If I fake my death, the news would soon spread around. Then Orochimaru would come and attack everyone since I'm no longer "available". I'll stay hidden until he comes, and when he does, I'll attack him myself.' _She knew that even though she had been acting close to everyone, that she really _had _grown a bond with them.

She sighed when she put the mixture of medicines in her bag. She made her way to the outskirts of Konoha when she heard a smooth voice say "Where do you think you're going?". Sakura turned around, greeted by an intense stare by Sasuke's onyx orbs. "I have a mission." She answered him, showing the mission scroll. "Why a solo mission?" he interrogated, his voice irritated.

"Does it really matter Sasuke-kun?" Sakura said, "I just didn't want to do a mission with you, Naruto, or Kakashi. There's nothing wrong with me going solo." He continued to stare at her, his stare turning into a scowl. "Hn." He stated simply, stuffing his hands in his pockets and walking away. Sakura raised a confused eyebrow, _'What was that all about?' **'Maybe he didn't want to be left out?' **_her inner teased. Sakura shrugged it off, leaving Konoha to complete her mission.

Sasuke entered Tsunade's office with a frown on his face. "What is it Uchiha?" Tsunade asked, not bothering to look up at him as she continued her paperwork. "You gave Sakura a mission." He stated. The blonde-haired woman looked up at him, "What about it?" Sasuke narrowed his onyx eyes, "Why?"

"Why not?" The Gondaime countered back. Sasuke grunted, unhappy at the answer. "She's planning something, can't you tell?" he said in an annoyed tone. "Yes, I am aware of that. But I can't baby-sit her forever Uchiha, she's a kunoichi. She can take care of herself."

"Give me a mission." The Uchiha Prodigy ordered. Tsunade sighed, handing him a mission scroll, "You can't always be there to protect her Uchiha." Sasuke held the mission scroll in his hands, his eyes roaming over the contents within it. "Aa." He said before disappearing in a cloud of smoke. Tsunade shook her head, _'Sakura's not planning anything serious. She knows better…' _

**With Sakura (A Few Days Later)**

_'Okay, it's been three days since I left Konoha.' _Sakura thought, keeping track in her head, _'So far, no encounters with any enemy shinobi.' _A frown formed on her features, _'How am I suppose to fake death if no one attacks me?' _She knew she couldn't hurt herself since what happened last time.

**Flashback**

_"Why did you do this to yourself?" Sasuke said, his tone dead serious as he pointed to the injuries on her damaged body. Sakura picked up the blanket and covered herself. "What are you talking about?" She fired back._

_"Don't play dumb! Answer the question Sakura!" The Uchiha yelled back. Sakura gasped at his sudden change in tone. Sasuke sighed trying to calm himself down. "Tell me," he said in a lower voice, "why you hurt yourself so severely."_

**End Flashback**

She gulped, _'I don't want to face that again…' _she mentally thought. She carefully held the katana closer to herself. As she jumped from tree to tree she could see the entrance of the Moon Village. She frowned deeper, _'No one's going to attack me?' _Then she felt another chakra coming towards her. _'Finally!' _

"Hand over the katana." The enemy shinobi threatened. When Sakura remained still the shinobi came and attacked her. After letting herself get cuts and bruises all over her body, she finally became serious and easily knocked out her attacker with her "monstrous strength" as Naruto calls it.

She quickly scanned over her body for any serious injuries. She only found one, the wound merely being a semi-deep cut from a kunai. She sighed, taking out a senbon and the _Fake Death_ medicine. After giving herself semi-fatal wounds, she applied the medicine on herself. When she felt her surroundings go black, a smile graced her features. _'It worked…' _she thought before collapsing onto the forest floor.

A few minutes later Sasuke, who had been given the mission to see if the Moon Village had received the special katana, arrived to where a "dead" Sakura was. His onyx eyes narrowed when he saw her injuries and the blood that seeped through it. He instantly appeared beside her, his eyes forming into the Sharingan to get a better look.

"Sakura." He said sternly. When he found no reply, he said, "Sakura." with a more stern, serious voice. When the motionless medic nin made no noise, Sasuke gritted his teeth in annoyance. "Dammit Sakura, answer me!" He checked her pulse and when he found none, his crimson blood eyes narrowed into slits.

He let out a deadly growl when he realized the possibility that she could be dead. His eyes scanned over her surroundings before he noticed a small medicine beside her. He picked it up, turning it over until he found a label. His blood boiled when he read it, glaring at Sakura. "What kind of sick joke is this?" he said in a dark tone.

He saw the katana that was supposed to be delivered to the moon village beside her and decided to complete her mission for her. _'The poison will wear off by the time I get back.' _The raven-haired shinobi thought, quickly continuing his way. He entered the Moon Village, quickly delivered the katana, and headed back with full speed.

Sakura's emerald green eyes fluttered open slowly, her blurry vision becoming clear when she blinked a couple of times. _'I guess it worked…' _she thought when she saw the dark sky and her body lying on the ground. She looked for the katana and gasped when she found it not there. _'W-what?! Where'd it go?! I had it right—' _"Sakura." Sasuke's voice said.

Sakura gasped out of surprise when she saw the young Uchiha appear in front of her crouched down. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" he said darkly. "I-I don't know what you're talking about Sasuke-kun." The pink-haired girl answered, avoiding his penetrating onyx gaze. "Explain." Sakura looked at him with a confused expression, "What—"

He held up the poison that Sakura had made and the young kunoichi bit her lip. "Why the fuck do you have _this_?" he cursed, his gaze turning into a scowl, "What're you trying to pull?" Sakura's emerald green eyes darted back and forth from the ground to Sasuke's eyes. She inwardly cringed when she saw his onyx eyes form into deadly Sharingan. "T-the enemy shinobi must've planted that i-in me when I became u-unconscious."

"Quit lying. Tell me the truth." Sakura felt her body shake in nervousness. _'I don't think I can find my way out of this one…' **'Damn it, so we're going to have to tell him?' **'We have no choice…' _"Sakura, _tell me_." Sasuke's stern voice said. Sakura sighed, "If I do, promise me you won't hate me." He kept his gaze on her, his Sharingan eyes narrowing and Sakura decided to take that as a yes. "Fine, I'll tell you." She took a deep breath, knowing she was about to make the biggest mistake of her life.

**A/N: and that's the end! Sorry if it took me a while to update, I'm getting so busy now! . so I hope you still review for your favorite author! Hehe, just kidding of course. But please, Read & Review!**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews everyone. But I think I need to clear one thing up. Most people said, "Wow, Sakura's stupid for leaving the bottle right _next _to her, especially with a _label_!" hehe, maybe I should've explained it more. The reason the bottle was next to her was because she "fainted" before she got a chance to put it back. She labeled it because she didn't want to get it confused with a different type of medicine. Hope that clears it up**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto. –wipes away fake tear–

**Betrayal – Chapter 10**

"I…" Sakura began, her mouth parted slightly. Sasuke kept his Sharingan gaze on her, boring through her emerald green eyes. "I…" Sakura began again, realizing she couldn't pull the rest of the words out her mouth. Sasuke narrowed his crimson eyes, his irritation getting the better of him. "Tell me." He ordered harshly.

"I…will." She said, trying to stall, "Just…Sasuke-kun, promise me you won't hate me." The raven-haired shinobi narrowed his eyes, "Should I?" he retorted smartly. **_'He's too smart for his own good…damn Uchihas…' _**Inner Sakura said. "Do you?" Sakura asked back, inwardly smiling at her smart comeback. "Don't change the subject." He said gruffly, "Tell me _now_."

"I…can't!" she blurted out, biting her lower lip to prevent the gasp that tried to get out of her throat. _'This is pissing me off…' _Sasuke thought, running an annoyed hand through his spiky raven hair. "Hn." The young Uchiha said, getting up from his crouched position. His Sharingan turned back into dark onyx eyes, his raven bangs hanging in front of his eyes. "Pathetic." He muttered darkly, shoving past her when the young kunoichi got up on her feet.

Sakura felt a tinge of hurt when she heard what he called her. _'Is that all I'll ever be to you…?' _she thought sadly. **_'Shannaro! Prove him wrong!' _**Inner Sakura screeched. Sakura took a step towards him, opening her mouth to retort to his comment but he was gone in a flash. She sighed, pointing her jade green gaze towards the floor. _'Orochimaru-sama said kill everyone by next week and bring Sasuke-kun to him…' _she thought, an evil thought creeping in her mind, _'So if I kill everyone and bring Sasuke-kun…Sasuke-kun will see I'm a lot stronger than he sees.' _

She felt uneasy at the plan but knew it was the only way to go. _'Sasuke-kun's hurt me enough,' _Sakura mentally thought, _'even when I was only faking those emotions towards him! Well, he'll see that we're not to be messed with!' **'Right!' **_her alter ego encouraged. Taking advantage of her angered and hurt state, she headed towards Orochimaru's layer, unbeknownst to a certain Uchiha following her.

_'If she refuses to tell me,' _Sasuke thought, _'she'll just have to show me.' _He masked his chakra, following stealthily after the pink-haired medic nin. Sakura leapt from tree to tree, turning her head around to view her surroundings. _'I could've sworn I sensed someone following me…' _she thought to herself, deciding to forget about it for the time being since she had more important business to do.

Sakura stopped in front of Orochimaru's layer, her emerald green eyes looking behind her as she kept her face in the same position. She turned around, slipping on her black gloves before gathering chakra in her hand. She thrust her chakra-filled fist against the floor, creating the sound of a loud explosion as the ground split and formed a fissure. _'That'll stop whoever's following me.' _She thought to herself before turning away and walking inside the snake sannin's layer.

Sasuke's onyx eyes widened slightly when he saw the massive strength the pink-haired shinobi had within her. He evaded the fissure, following the same direction he had last saw her take. He closed his onyx eyes, opening them again to reveal the bloody crimson eyes that were the Sharingan. His Sharingan eyes searched the surroundings, knowing that his eyes could help him follow the young kunoichi without being found.

He found her, quickly catching up to her quick pace as he saw her turn from hall to hall as if she knew the place by the back of her hand. Sakura stopped roaming the halls, entering a small door where, Sasuke guessed, was Orochimaru was. Sasuke laid his back against a concrete wall, leaning his head backwards to hear the conversation that would take place between the kunoichi and the snake sannin.

"Orochimaru-sama." Sakura greeted him. "Ah, if it isn't Sakura. What brings you here?" he asked in a sly tone. He grinned wickedly when he saw her blank expression. "My, my, you've had an attitude adjustment. Tell me, have all these years of working for me finally unleashed your demonic side?"

_'Working for him? What the hell does he mean by that?' _Sasuke thought, gritting his teeth as he peered through the small rim of light coming from the room Sakura and Orochimaru were in. Orochimaru continued taunting the pink-haired girl, "Don't tell me that _faking _all of your emotions, especially to our dear Sasuke-kun, has gotten you soft and you wish to resign from the 'mission' I had given you."

Sasuke felt the tomoes in his bloody crimson eyes swirl madly, his fists clenching tightly as he forced himself to remain calm. Orochimaru continued, "You still want the reward don't you? The jutsu that can bring people back from the dead?" Sakura narrowed her leaf green eyes, _'Sick bastard, taunting me like that!' **'I suggest you torture him to **_**make _him teach us that jutsu, then kill him!' _**her inner self suggested angrily.

"I just came here to ask you," she began, trying her best to mask her deep hatred even though Orochimaru could clearly see it, "if the mission to kill everyone and bring Sasuke-kun here could be done by tonight." Sasuke pressed his body harder against the concrete wall, trying to get a better listen. _'Kill everyone and bring me to this crappy place? What the hell?' _

"Eager, aren't we?" Orochimaru said, licking his lips in an evil manner. Sakura inwardly cringed but remained her blank expression. "Hai, you can call it that." She answered back, smiling evilly to fit her part. "Besides, if I bring you Sasuke-kun, you can used Fushi Tensei sooner instead of later, don't you agree Orochimaru-sa—"

She got cut off when she heard the door burst open revealing the one and only Uchiha Sasuke himself, the deadly Chidori making a crackling sound in his right hand. Sakura's emerald eyes widened as Orochimaru turned around, smiling evilly when he saw the great strength coming from Sasuke's hand. Sasuke's Sharingan were a deadly blood red color, so dark and full of hatred.

"You…" his voice said in a deadly quiet tone as his eyes bored through Sakura's jade green ones. Sakura felt her body beginning to shake uncontrollably through his hard, angry stare. The Uchiha Prodigy then shifted his gaze towards the snake sannin, his deadly quiet voice turning into a deadly yell, "You're dead!"

The young Uchiha used his incredible speed, sprinting towards the snake sannin with his Chidori aimed straight at his heart. "S-Sasuke-kun!" Sakura called out, running after the raven-haired boy until she was running side-by-side to him. "Interesting…" Orochimaru said in a sly tone, his eyes having an evil glint in them.

Sasuke threw his arm at the snake sannin, the Chidori barely touching Orochimaru as he grabbed Sasuke's wrist and pointed the lightning blade towards Sakura's direction. Sakura's emerald green eyes widened when she saw Sasuke's Chidori coming towards her. "Sakura!" Sasuke yelled out, trying to move his arm out of Orochimaru's grasp. The medic nin let out a blood-curdling scream when she felt the Chidori hit her.

The sickening attack of blood spilling on the ground filled the air. Sasuke's Chidori died down in his right hand, his Sharingan tomoes swirling madly as he realized what he had done. His crimson eyes widened when he saw Sakura's right shoulder, deeply wounded as blood spilled out. Orochimaru grinned evilly, "That's a beautiful attack Sasuke-kun."

Sakura, used to being under pressure, tried her best to heal her wound. She formed the necessary hand seals in the blink of an eye, placing her healing hands against her right shoulder as the green chakra filled itself inside the wound. "I don't have enough chakra to heal this…" Sasuke heard Sakura say quietly.

"Sen'eitajashu!" Orochimaru called out, taking advantage of Sasuke's guard down. Sasuke quickly turned his head before he saw hidden snakes coming from Orochimaru straights towards his direction. "S-Sasuke-kun!" Sakura called out hoarsely, "G-Get away from the s-snakes, they h-have p-poison in th-their f-fangs!"

But it was too late. The snakes bit his shoulders, the venom from their fangs seeping into Sasuke's bloodstream. Sasuke groaned in the pain, closing his eyes tightly. "Kuso…" he cursed under his breath. "S-Sasuke-kun!" Sakura said, wincing from the deep wound in her shoulder as more of her blood continued to spill out from it.

_'We need to get out of here…' _the young Uchiha thought, his Sharingan eyes searching for a way out. He formed a few hand seals, raising his hand to his mouth as he used an infamous Uchiha jutsu, "Katon: Gokakyuu no Jutsu!" The hot flame burst through his mouth, burning Orochimaru slightly. The snake sannin jumped back, narrowing his eyes. Sasuke took the moment as an advantage, using his poisoned body to pick up Sakura's bleeding form and using as much speed as he could to get out.

He reached the outside by following the same way he had saw Sakura take earlier. His breathing became ragged as he tried his best to go back to the Hidden Leaf Village Konohagakure. "Sasuke-kun…" Sakura said quietly. Sasuke felt his Sharingan gaze become blurry. He blinked his eyes a couple times to clear his vision as he felt it becoming hard to breath. "The poison…Sasuke-kun…" Sakura's voice came again, her tone very weak as she too breathed raggedly.

"I-It's spreading…" Sakura managed to get out, "i-if you keep on going…you might d-die…" Then the Uchiha Prodigy felt the pink-haired kunoichi go limp in his arms. _'Don't die on me Sakura.' _He thought, feeling himself growing daze. He barely reached the gates of Konoha, limping as he felt the poison take it's full effect on his body.

Two ANBU guards that stood in guard of the Hidden Leaf Village immediately recognized the two. Sasuke blinked his crimson eyes, tightening his hold on his pink-haired teammate before he felt his breathing become hitched as his body collapsed on the ground. "Get Tsunade-sama!" one of the ANBU said, "Now!"

**A/N: Hehe, I don't know why, but I feel proud of myself for this chapter. It came out exactly how I wanted it to, well, with a few edits of course. I'm happy, hope you enjoyed it as much as I loved typing it! Sorry for taking a while to update. Anyways, I'm going to go update my other stories. Read&Review!**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews everyone. Glad you enjoyed reading it as much as I felt proud typing it—If that made sense lol. **

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto. –cries lamely– hehe

**Betrayal – Chapter 11**

_'Almost…there…' _Sasuke thought before he felt his body lose full consciousness. He felt his body collapse on the ground, the pink-haired girl following suit because of his lack of strength to continue carrying her. _'All…my fault…' _was his last thought before his mind entered darkness.

"Tsunade-sama!" Shizune's frantic voice said as she burst through the door's of the Gondaime's office in the Hokage's Mansion, "Tsunade-sama!" Tsunade looked up from her excess piles of her work. "Shizune," the blonde-haired woman greeted, raising a curious eyebrow at the panting black-haired woman, "what's the matter? Is everything all right?"

Shizune panted, catching her breath. "Tsunade-sama, Sakura-san's been hit by Sasuke-san's Chidori, and Sasuke-san has been poisoned with a mysterious poison that the ANBU can't figure out where it came from!" Tsunade stood up, her palms slamming down on her desk, "What?!"

Tsunade rushed out of the Hokage's Mansion as Shizune continued feeding information to her. "The ANBU black ops predicted this from examination of their injured bodies and told me to inform you immediately." Tsunade entered the hospital, saying in a demanding tone, "Take me to Uchiha and Sakura."

_'Sakura hit with chidori? Sasuke poisoned? How bad can the injuries be…?' _Tsunade thought as she followed the fast-pacing nurse towards the two shinobis' corridors. The blonde-haired woman entered the room quickly, her golden almond eyes scanning over Sakura's injuries then looking over Sasuke's.

"Shizune, look over the poison in Uchiha's body and report to me once you're finished on his condition. I'll heal Sakura's wound." Shizune nodded, heading over to Sasuke's body which was lying on a hospital bed and scanned the poison. Tsunade, on the other hand, walked over to Sakura and frowned when she saw the deep wound caused from the powerful Chidori.

_'Sakura managed to stop the bleeding but…there's still more to the wound.' _The legendary medic nin thought, placing one palm on top of the other and hovering the two hands over Sakura's bloodied shoulder. "Tsunade-sama, the poison in Sasuke-san's body has spread rapidly probably from the fact that he was rushing to get here." Shizune confirmed.

The Gondaime nodded, "I see. So there is a lot in his bloodstream then?" Shizune nodded, looking down at Sasuke before looking back at Tsunade, "Hai, and it's starting to dissolve some tissue inside him." _'What kind of acid did the Uchiha get hit from? And how did he get hit?' _Tsunade thought from hearing what Shizune had said.

"Shizune, go get assistance. I need someone to look for blood to give to Sakura's body; she's lost too much from the Chidori. In the mean time, I'll look over the Uchiha." The black-haired woman nodded, scurrying out the corridors and heading over to the front desk of the hospital.

_'I can take the poison out that hasn't entered his bloodstream yet…' _Tsunade thought, doing the action she had just thought of, _'but to get the rest out…' _Green chakra hovered over Sasuke's shoulder, extracting poison. When she had gotten the poison that hadn't entered his bloodstream out, Shizune and other nurses came inside the room. "I need some icy cold water, now!"

A nurse scurried out of the room, coming back quickly with the water the Gondaime had requested. Tsunade took the water, splashing it over the Uchiha Prodigy's face. Sasuke sat up from the cold impact, coughing. "Wh…What the hell?" he said, shutting his eyes when he felt the poison spread farther from his previous action.

"Uchiha just shut up and stay still." Sasuke, too much in pain to argue, obeyed and stood still, groaning from the poison. Tsunade, using her massive strength, punched Sasuke hard in the stomach. "Ts-Tsunade-sama!" Shizune cried out, her eyes widening when she saw the Hokage's action towards the young Uchiha.

Sasuke's onyx eyes shot open as his body kneeled over, coughing up blood that had contained poison. Shizune closed her mouth, realizing what Tsunade was trying to do. "Don't move Uchiha." Tsunade ordered harshly, giving him another blow to the stomach as more blood came out of the raven-haired ninja's mouth.

Tsunade continued the action, looking up when she saw everyone's eyes on her. "What're you looking at?! Go help Sakura!" The nurses and Shizune jumped from Tsunade's loud voice, quickly obeying the Gondaime's orders. "I need AB positive blood connecting to Sakura's shoulder." Shizune told the nurses and a few left the room to go do the task.

"As for the rest of you, I need stitches and gauze." The rest of the nurses nodded, obeying their order. Sasuke groaned from pain loudly when he felt Tsunade's monstrous punch hit his stomach again as he kneeled over and coughed up more blood. _'Good, the poison's all out.' _Tsunade thought, a proud smile on her face as she healed Sasuke's bruised stomach from the repeating punches he had received.

Sasuke fell back when he noticed her stop punching him and give him more healing chakra. _'Holy…shit…' _he thought before he went unconscious again. Tsunade finished up his injury by wrapping a few bandages around his shoulder, leaving the Uchiha Prodigy there to rest and recuperate from his wounds.

Nurses re-entered the room, gauze, stitches, and a AB positive blood sack with them. Shizune took the blood and connected it to Sakura's shoulder, letting it give the pink-haired girl's body the blood it desperately needed. Tsunade noticed a blood clot beginning to form and began to heal it with her green chakra, taking the stitches from the nurses when the clot had stopped.

Shizune noticed Sakura begin to stir when Tsunade began putting in stitches and gently hit the pressure point on the kunoichi's neck, making her enter blackness once again. "Good, make sure she doesn't regain consciousness Shizune." Tsunade said, putting more stitches on Sakura's bloodied shoulder to close her wound.

The Hokage's assistant nodded, making sure Sakura didn't wake up as she monitored the blood going inside her system. "Gauze." Tsunade said, holding her hand out as gauze was placed in her hand. Tsunade carefully wrapped gauze around her apprentice's shoulder, making sure it wasn't too loose.

When she finished, the nurses, as well as Shizune and Tsunade, left the room as Tsunade wiped the sweat from her brow. Shizune took a deep breath of relief, a relieved smile on her face. "That was amazing, Tsunade-sama." Shizune complimented the Hokage. Tsunade smiled, her golden almond eyes closed, "You too, Shizune."

"Shall I go find Naruto-san and Kakashi-sempai and inform them?" Shizune said. Tsunade nodded, "Hai, go to it." The black-haired woman nodded, quickly disappearing to go fulfill her task.

Tsunade sat in the waiting room for 30 minutes until Naruto burst in, his loud voice exclaiming, "What the hell happened to Sakura-chan and Sasuke-teme?!" Tsunade sighed, poking her finger in her ear from his loud outburst. Kakashi followed in after Naruto, _Icha Icha Paradise _in his hands as his coal eye read it's content. "Quiet yourself, Naruto. This is a hospital."

"Where's Sakura-chan and Sasuke-teme?! No, wait, _first _tell me where Sakura-chan is, _then _Sasuke-teme!" Naruto walked up to the Hokage, a scowl on his whiskery face. "Shut up Naruto." Tsunade said in an annoyed tone, her hands on her hips, "Can't you ever be quiet for once?"

Naruto scowled deeper, "Where's Sakura-chan?! Is she okay?!" Tsunade sighed, "She was hit with the Chidori in her shoulder." Kakashi looked up at the Hokage and narrowed his coal eye while Naruto stood there gaped. "Don't worry," Tsunade said, "I took care of it and she's fine now, she's resting."

"You could've mentioned that first Tsunade-baachan! You nearly gave me a heart attack! And how the hell did teme's Chidori get on her shoulder?!"

"That, Naruto, Kakashi, is what I don't know." Tsunade said truthfully, crossing her arms over her chest, "I sent Sakura on a mission to the Moon Village to deliver a katana, then I sent Uchiha on a mission to go to the Moon Village to make sure they received their katana."

"And you think that Sakura and Sasuke were attacked by enemy ninja after the katana." Kakashi predicted from her statement, closing the orange novel. Tsunade nodded, "Exactly. We just don't know _who _it was that attacked them, or how they were attacked in the first place."

"How did you find them?" Naruto asked in a quieted down voice. Tsunade shook her head, "I didn't find them, Shizune came in my room and reported what happened to me. Apparently, from ANBU Black Ops, Sasuke came with Sakura in his arms and collapsed while Sakura was already unconscious."

"They must've been pretty powerful to take down Sasuke and Sakura." Kakashi said, his facial expression deep in thought from underneath his mysterious mask. "What happened to Sasuke-teme anyway?!" Naruto said as Tsunade glared at him for his loud voice.

"Sasuke was poisoned by one hell of an acid. I know as much as you do where the substance came from and how it got inside his bloodstream." The blonde-haired woman answered.

"For now we should just wait." The Gondaime said. Kakashi nodded and Naruto nodded in a grumpy manner. "Once they have regained consciousness, we will question them about what happened."

**A/N: Okay, that's it for that part. Hope you liked! Read & Review please! **


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Yay, thanks for the reviews everyone! Heh, I'm glad this is my second story that everyone likes so much. Other than _The Dating Game_ of course.**

**Disclaimer:** Don't own Naruto.

**Betrayal – Chapter 12**

"Sakura." Sakura's emerald green eyes fluttered open when she heard her name. Her vision blurred, but once it was clear, she saw a pair of onyx eyes staring back down at her. Her instinct reaction was to open her mouth and scream, but Sasuke quickly covered her mouth with his hand.

"Calm down, it's me." Sasuke said, quietly but sternly. She stood up immediately, wincing when she felt the tight bandage around her shoulder. She came up and gripped, looking at Sasuke with confusion, her confusion increasing when he held his stomach tightly.

_'Damn, Tsunade as one hell of a punch.' _Sasuke thought, remembering the "maneuver" the legendary medical ninja had used on him to get the poison out of his bloodstream. "Sasuke-kun," Sasuke snapped his head towards Sakura's direction and Sakura gulped unconsciously, "How—when—what's going on?" Sasuke merely shrugged.

**Flashback**

_Him and Sakura were placed in a hospital room on two beds that were a few yards away from each other for their body to recuperate. Minutes passed, and Sasuke regained consciousness soon after Tsunade's deadly punches, his ninja instincts taking over as he hopped off the bed with a kunai beside him just in case and checked out his surroundings._

_When he recognized it was the hospital, he lowered his guard slightly and noticed another chakra in the room. His grip on the kunai tightened and he walked over to the chakra's location. He sighed and pocketed his kunai in his hip pouch when he saw it was only Sakura's slumbering form. _

_'How the hell did we get here? What's going on?' the Uchiha Prodigy thought, trying to remember what had previously happened. All he remembered was waking up when icy water splashed on his face, then getting punched repeatedly by the Gondaime herself and falling into unconsciousness. _

_'Maybe Sakura will know…' the raven-haired shinobi concluded, making his way over to the sleeping kunoichi. He nudged her shoulder, trying to wake her up. When he did it a couple of times and noticed that it didn't work, he called out her name. After a few times of repeating her name, she woke up. _

**End Flashback**

"How'd we get here? I don't remember…" Sakura said, quieting her voice. Her mind tried to replay over the last few events in her head, and her eyes widened as wide as saucers when she remembered.

**Flashback**

_ "Besides, if I bring you Sasuke-kun, you can use Fushi Tensei sooner instead of later, don't you agree Orochimaru-sa—"_

_She got cut off when she heard the door burst open revealing the one and only Uchiha Sasuke himself, the deadly Chidori making a crackling sound in his right hand. Sakura's emerald eyes widened as Orochimaru turned around, smiling evilly when he saw the great strength coming from Sasuke's hand. Sasuke's Sharingan were a deadly blood red color, so dark and full of hatred._

_"You…" his voice said in a deadly quiet tone as his eyes bored through Sakura's jade green ones. Sakura felt her body beginning to shake uncontrollably through his hard, angry stare. The Uchiha Prodigy then shifted his gaze towards the snake sannin, his deadly quiet voice turning into a deadly yell, "You're dead!"_

_The young Uchiha used his incredible speed, sprinting towards the snake sannin with his Chidori aimed straight at his heart. "S-Sasuke-kun!" Sakura called out, running after the raven-haired boy until she was running side-by-side to him. "Interesting…" Orochimaru said in a sly tone, his eyes having an evil glint in them._

_Sasuke threw his arm at the snake sannin, the Chidori barely touching Orochimaru as he grabbed Sasuke's wrist and pointed the lightning blade towards Sakura's direction. Sakura's emerald green eyes widened when she saw Sasuke's Chidori coming towards her. "Sakura!" Sasuke yelled out, trying to move his arm out of Orochimaru's grasp. The medic nin let out a blood-curdling scream when she felt the Chidori hit her._

**End Flashback**

She looked at Sasuke, who, noticing her gaze looked back at her. "What?" he said, making it sound like a statement than a question. _'Does he remember?' _she thought franticly. **_'Well, judging from the fact that he hasn't exploded into a fit of rage, I'm guessing no.' _**

She hesitated before asking, "D-Do you r-remember anything Sasuke-kun?" Sasuke narrowed his onyx eyes. _'What's she stuttering about?' _"I just remember waking up and getting punched like a dummy." He said, muttering the last three words.

They both turned their heads when they heard the door cringe open. Inside walked a nurse, who widened her eyes when she saw the two shinobi awaken. She looked at both of them, blinking her eyes a couple of times before leaving the room and heading towards the front desk.

"I'm guessing we weren't expected to be awaken soon." Sasuke concluded from the nurse's reaction. Sakura nodded her head, "Hai. Ano, Sasuke-kun, do you have any idea what's going on?" Sasuke glanced at her, "I know as much as you do Sakura." His eyes locked on her bandaged shoulder, "What happened to your shoulder?"

Sakura tried her best to think of an excuse so he wouldn't remember what _really _happened and gave him a fake smile the young Uchiha easily saw through. "I was rushing back here so fast after my mission that I cut my shoulder against a sharp branch."

"Mission? What mission?" Sasuke said, narrowing his onyx eyes when he sensed her lying. "The mission Tsunade-shishou gave me." Sakura quickly blurted out. When Sasuke saw her reaction, memories flooded back to his head. He remembered being inside a layer, Orochimaru's layer he soon remembered, and heard them talking. _'Wait a second…Sakura's working for Orochimaru…' _Sasuke thought, remembering what had really happened, _'And I came in…and we fought and my Chidori got deflected and it hit Sakura instead…and that's how—'_

His thoughts were cut off when he heard the door open. Both Sasuke and Sakura's heads snapped over at the direction of the door cringing. "Ah, so you two are awake." Tsunade said, a sincere smile on her face as she looked at the Uchiha Prodigy and her apprentice.

"Tsunade-shishou!" Sakura called out, giving her a small smile, "What're you doing here?" Tsunade looked at Sakura's shoulder before moving her golden almond gaze towards the pink-haired ninja's face, "I came to see how you two were doing. After I healed you," She looked at Sasuke who was glaring at her and holding his stomach, "you both passed out. You've been knocked out for a few days now, I was beginning to think you both went under a coma."

Sakura let out an uneasy and forced laugh and Sasuke remained with a stoic expression. Tsunade's expression then grew serious and Sakura stopped laughing. "Sakura, Uchiha." Tsunade said to the two of them, "Why the hell happened?" Sakura unconsciously gulped down a lump that was beginning to form in her throat. _'I knew that was coming…' _

_**'Think you can think of something to get out of this?' **'Just give me a second…' **'Well?!' **'…Nothing…' _"Sakura?" The blonde-haired woman's voice said, taking Sakura out of her thoughts with her alter ego. "Hai, gomen about that Tsunade-shishou." The Gondaime nodded and continued what she was saying, "When I was informed about you two, you were in critical condition. Care to explain what happened?"

When they both remained silent, Tsunade used a stern voice, "Fine. I asked you, but since you aren't responding, I _order _you, as the Gondaime Hokage, to tell me what happened on the mission."

Sasuke glanced over at Sakura's direction, his onyx orbs seeing that she was beginning to fidget nervously and her hand gripped on her shoulder. Her emerald eyes met with his for a brief second before she quickly looked away and looked down. The Hokage tapped her foot impatiently, "I'm waiting…"

Sakura gulped, "Heh, about that Tsunade-shishou…"

**A/N: Omg! I'm so sorry for the slow update! Don't kill me! –ducks flying tomatoes– anyways, I hope you forgive me by reading and reviewing! (no flames please, but constructive criticism is allowed.)**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Hum..I think might be drawing this story to a close soon. And sorry of the last chapter didn't really move the story along. I kind of realize that…hehe, sorry. Anyways, enjoy the next chap. I don't know, but I feel like the more I type the worse it gets…ah, well, enjoy! **

**Disclaimer:** Don't own Naruto.

**Betrayal – Chapter 13**

Tsunade tapped her foot impatiently on the hospital floor, "Well Sakura? I'm waiting…" **_'Damn, there's no way to get out of this now huh?' _**Inner Sakura said. _'Great…just great, I'm going to get kicked out of Konoha and get hated by everyone for this!' _Sakura thought regretfully, _'I should have never done this if I knew _this _was going to happen…' _

"W-Well…" Sakura began, nervously twiddling her thumbs, "I was on the mission you gave me, Tsunade-shishou, and I got attacked by an enemy ninja. I fought him, and I blacked out after the fight." Tsunade's golden almond gaze eyed her warily, "It must've been some hell of a ninja to take you down." The Godaime said.

Sakura laughed uneasily, "Yeah…well, I blacked out, then—" Sasuke cleared his throat, cutting her off, "I found her unconscious." Tsunade glanced at Sasuke, "You didn't have to interrupt her. I'll get your side of the story _later_, Uchiha," the blonde-haired woman looked at Sakura, "continue, Sakura."

Sakura nodded, "Hai, Sasuke-kun found me unconscious Tsunade-shishou. Then…" she paused, looking down as she tried to form the right words in her head. _'Well, after that Sasuke-kun demanded me to tell me what's going on, and I refused, he called me "Pathetic",' _she inwardly cringed at the word, _'and then left, followed me to Orochimaru, discovered I've been working for him…how do I explain that?' _

"Then what?" Tsunade said seriously. Sakura opened her mouth, closing it when she realized she had nothing to say, "I don't really know how to put it…" Sasuke grunted, getting Sakura's and Tsunade's attention, "I found her unconscious, and she woke up soon after that. Then the enemy ninja she was fighting earlier came back to finish her off."

Tsunade eyed Sasuke suspiciously, "If that's the case, then how did _your _Chidori get in her shoulder? Don't tell me Kakashi got there and did that jutsu to her." Sasuke narrowed his onyx eyes. "I was distracted," he defended. Tsunade's lips went into a grim line, "Right then…"

The blonde-haired woman started heading towards the doorway, "Sakura, look over Uchiha's wounds as well as your own. When you're done, leave and meet me back at my office." Sakura nodded and Sasuke frowned. Tsunade nodded after she had said her order, and opened the door, closing it behind her as she left.

When she was out of earshot, Sakura asked, "Why'd you do that?" Sasuke averted his onyx eyes to her, "Do what?" he said monotone. Sakura raised an eyebrow and cocked her head to the side, "Why did you make up an excuse?" Sasuke shoved his hands in his pockets, "To stall."

"Stall? For what?" Sakura asked, getting even more confused. Sasuke glared lightly at her, "You ask too many questions." Sakura walked up to him, hands on her hips, "Answer me Sasuke-kun."

"You're going to tell me what _really _happened, before you tell the Tsunade." Sasuke said directly, "I need to clarify what I remember." Sakura blinked her emerald green eyes in an innocent manner, "And if I don't?" Sasuke crossed his arms over his chest, "You don't have a choice."

"If you remembered, why didn't you just tell Tsunade-shishou?" Sasuke frowned, "I don't like answering the same question twice." The young Uchiha said. Sakura sighed, "Let me see your wounds Sasuke-kun. Tsunade-shishou's orders." Sakura walked towards him and Sasuke stepped away from her, "Tell me first," he ordered her.

"No, show me your wounds first." Sakura said back stubbornly. Sasuke growled impatiently, keeping a good distance between each other. "Tell me," he ordered harshly, his Sharingan flashing on his onyx orbs. Sakura sighed, her emerald green gaze pointing towards the ground hopelessly.

"Fine…" she mumbled, then saying in a super-quick pace, "I work for Orochimaru." Sasuke blinked his onyx orbs a few times, his brain still processing what she had said. Once he figured out what she had said, his mouth formed a thin, grim line. Sakura inwardly winced at his cold expression.

"S-Sasuke-kun?" she said hesitatingly. She blinked, and next thing she knew she was pinned against the wall with Sasuke dangerously close to her. "Sasuke-kun?" she gasped out in mild surprise. Her emerald eyes widened widely when she felt Sasuke's lips pressed against hers, his entrancing onyx eyes closing as he kissed her deeper.

She felt her eyelids grow droopy, and she closed them. Everything around her felt hazy, and Sasuke continued kissing her. She slowly opened her eyes when she felt Sasuke pull back, a feeling of disappointment when she saw his stoic expression. She was still trying to think of what _exactly _had just happened.

She opened her mouth to question him, but he beat her to it. "Do you trust me?" he said monotone. _'He's been asking that a lot…' _her brain thought nonchalantly. She didn't answer, displeasing the Uchiha. "Answer the question Sakura." The raven-haired shinobi ordered.

Sakura bit her lip and let it go, putting her hands on the side of his face and pressing her lips against his. Sasuke grunted from her action, pulling himself back away from her and pinned her hands above her head, "Don't do that," Sasuke breathed out to her.

Sakura's eyes still looked hazed over, and she looked at him with a dull expression. "That was my answer," she said quietly, "to your question, Sasuke-kun." Sasuke stared hard at her. Getting impatient, he pulled her into his arms, tightly holding her against him.

Sakura's instant reaction that she did was burying her face in his chest. "You trust me." Sasuke said, trying to confirm her statement. Sakura nodded her head, "Of course I do." Sasuke rested his chin on top of her head, "Then tell me what's really going on."

Sasuke loosened his grip on her and Sakura pulled back, avoiding his penetrating onyx gaze. "Okay…" She walked towards the hospital beds, sitting on top of it as Sasuke leaned against another bed across from where Sakura was sitting. "It all started when I was 8 years old…"

**Flashback**

_8-year old Haruno Sakura walked through the rain. Her parents' blood was splattered across the ground, and waves of tears fell from the young girl's face. "Otousan…okaasan…" Sakura wept, kneeling down at their bodies once she had walked up to them. "Why are you sleeping? Wake up..."_

_She tried nudging her mother's blood-covered shoulder, then moving over to try her father. Nothing. "Wake up…I don't like this!" She then heard a sound not too far, and she whipped around, panic and fear evident in her frightened emerald orbs. "Don't be afraid," a voice said, "I'm not here to hurt you." _

_"Wh-Who are you? And why are okaasan and otousan…" the little girl choked on sobs before she could complete her sentence. "You have nothing to worry about," the voice said, coming out of the shadows to reveal the snake sannin himself, "I'm not going to hurt you." He reassured her. _

_Sakura scrambled backwards, trying to hide herself in her parents' dead bodies. "My name's Orochimaru, little one. I can help you, just come with me." Sakura felt uneasy about the stranger, as well as the mild emotions running through her from the recent events. _

_An evil grin spread on Orochimaru's face, "I see you are still troubled about this whole incident. When you are ready," he pointed to an alleyway in front of him, rain continuing to pour hard, "I'll be waiting over there, if you change your mind." Orochimaru walked down the alleyway, disappearing in the shadows. _

_Sakura wept quietly, "Okaasan, otousan, what should I do?" She cried, "I was too weak to protect you…" She then forced herself to put on a brave face, standing up and hastily wiping her flowing tears away. 'Maybe if I go with that guy…he can help me get stronger…' Sakura thought. _

_She remembered his words of meeting him across the alleyway. And that's what she did. With one last look of remorse to her parents' dead bodies, she walked down the alleyway, disappearing into the dark shadows that now surrounded her. "You've chosen a wise path, little one." Orochimaru hissed, "What is your name?"_

_"Sakura." Sakura said hesitantly before clearing her voice, "Haruno Sakura." Orochimaru grinned, "Very well Sakura. Come with me, and together I will give you the power you seek to protect those dear to you. In return, you are to follow my every command, understand?" _

_Sakura nodded, "Hai, Orochimaru-sama." She continued to follow the snake sannin, keeping up with his strides the best her little legs could. Orochimaru chuckled evilly, patting her on top of the head, "I'll make you into a fierce battle machine, Sakura." _

**End Flashback**

Sakura stopped, looking at Sasuke who stared back at her hard, looking as though he was deep in thought. "If you were working for that bastard…" Sasuke said quietly, "then how did you come upon Kakashi, the dobe, and me?"

"I was assigned to get acquainted to Konoha, especially to you, Sasuke-kun. I was told to tell Orochimaru everything I learned from Konoha, and you, and report it to him." _'Which explains her odd behavior when she would leave all of a sudden…' _Sasuke thought, before he caught something in her words.

"Why specifically me?" the Uchiha Prodigy asked. "I was told to let nothing happen to you, and if you died, well, that would be it for me. I had to hide my real strength from all of you, to not arouse suspicion. I had to fake all of my emotions so I could get used to you guys, and not arouse suspicion like I said before. I'm sorry, Sasuke-kun, I didn't mean—"

"Don't even start with all that crap," Sasuke cut her off harshly, "What do you mean your 'real' strength?" He didn't like it. He didn't like it one bit. He _loathed _this. He loathed the fact that he couldn't put two and two together. He loathed that he couldn't combine the clues, couldn't understand what she was telling him.

But, he knew, what he loathed most was the fact of the possibility that she was only _faking _all the actions she had done to or for him. That she didn't actually mean it, that it was only part of an assignment. He hated that the most.

"Well—" but before she could continue, the door opened revealing a nurse. She expected the room to be empty, but when she saw it had to people inside, she quickly mumbled an apology and left. Sasuke turned back his attention from the nurse to Sakura, and his eyes instantly formed to Sharingan. _'Damn her.' _He thought.

She was gone.

**A/N: Ooh, another cliffy! Heh, I made this a bit longer than I normally do. Anyway, I'd write more in this author's note, but my mom's rushing me off the computer. So, I'm just quickly uploading this and going! So read & review!**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews everyone! I don't know, do you think that I'm not putting too much SasuSaku fluff? I think so…it's kind of hard to put it in though, when you know Sasuke's personality. Also, I don't want to make him _too_ OOC, you know? It's already hard enough as it is to keep him in character…lol…anyways, on with the story! (**

**Disclaimer:** I say it once, I say it again. I don't –sniffle– own Naruto.

**Betrayal – Chapter 14**

She had run away. She ran as fast as her legs could carry her. Leaving behind a pissed off Uchiha Prodigy in the hospital as a result. _'Why does she keep on running?' _he thought, bitter emotions taking arise. _'Why is it always _me_ she runs away from?!' _He clenched his knuckles tightly, so tight they began to turn white.

The curtains of the window the pink-haired kunoichi stealthily escaped from swayed to the side from a gentle breeze. Sasuke walked up to the window, his onyx eyes transforming to the deadly Sharingan, the three tomoes within the crimson eye spinning wildly. "You're not getting away so easily…" he muttered under his breath, leaping up on the ledge as he began to track Sakura down.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sakura panted as she forced her legs to keep on running blindly threw the open forest. Flashes of green passed her vision because of her great speed. She was a running blur of pink that was almost impossible to see with the naked eye. She stopped running when she stood in front of Orochimaru's layer.

She eerily walked in, her guard still up. _'I feel like someone's following me…' _she thought. **_'Just make it quick, you'll deal with Sasuke-kun later.' _**Inner Sakura advised. "Sakura," Orochimaru's sly tone said creepily, "what a pleasant surprise." Sakura whipped around, looking at the snake sannin in slight surprise.

"Come now, Sakura, I know you sensed me. I've taught you better for you to have not," Orochimaru said. Sakura merely nodded, closing her gape mouth. "Is it time?" Sakura asked. Orochimaru gave an evil grin, "It is. Sakura, well done luring Sasuke-kun here. His abilities are just like I imagined, and better." An evil glint appeared in his gold eyes. "Just what I need for my new vessel."

Sakura inwardly cringed. "So we are to execute the plan?" she asked. Orochimaru cackled, "The time for my retrieval of Sasuke-kun's body is now. You understand what you are to do?" Sakura nodded, "I am to gather sound ninja and attack Konoha and bring the village hidden in the leaves down and destroy it."

"Meanwhile," she continued, "I retrieve Sasuke-kun bound and unable to escape and bring him to you for the body exchange." Orochimaru nodded, "You are a smart one, Sakura. Now you can use the special techniques I have taught you. Now go and fulfill your part, I will be along shortly."

Sakura nodded again. She formed a few hand seals and soon disappeared. Orochimaru chuckled, _'Foolish girl. She still hasn't figured out that after everything she's done for me, she is not getting anything in return.' _ The legendary snake traitor thought evilly.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sakura walked towards the training grounds where sound nin filled the spaces. "Well, well, well, if it isn't little Sakura-chan?" One ninja taunted, a malicious glint in his eyes. Sakura frowned, _'Arrogant bastards…' _she thought. **_'Reminds me of someone…I wonder who…' _**Inner Sakura thought with sarcasm.

"Shut up," Sakura snapped harshly, "it's time to execute the plan, Orochimaru-sama's orders. Let's go." One of the sound nin snorted, "Why would we listen to a pipsqueak like you?" he drawled out in a mocking voice. Sakura scoffed, gently placing her index finger against the ground.

A vicious looking fissure immediately erupted when the impact came. The man that had mocked her, not expecting such strength from the fragile looking girl, stumbled from the earth's shaking. Sakura reappeared behind him, a freshly sharpened kunai pressed against his throat.

"Who are you calling pipsqueak?" she whispered dangerously. The man unconsciously gulped. _'This girl…she's not some ordinary kunoichi…' _the man thought. Sakura narrowed her emerald green eyes, "Wait, you're Kenji, aren't you?" The said man merely glanced at her, rolling his eyes to the back of his head.

Sakura shook her head, "Kenji, Kenji, Kenji, what're we going to do with you?" Kenji growled, "What the hell are you talking about wench?!" Sakura pressed the kunai harder, drawing a thin line of blood. "Watch your tone," she warned. "I know you because I was ordered to heal you day in and day out when Orochimaru-sama found you. It wasn't easy, so be grateful you're alive."

_'This girl…Sakura…she has mood swings. Deadly mood swings. One minute she's passive, the next she's a killing doll…' _Kenji thought. "Still think I'm a pipsqueak?" Sakura said tauntingly, "This 'pipsqueak' saved your life. Remember that in this near-death experience."

Sakura removed the kunai, jumping a few yards in front of Kenji. Kenji scowled angrily at her, _'How dare she threaten me! No one, especially that wench, tells me what to do!' _ "Now, let's go before I kick all of your asses!" Sakura yelled. **_'Yes! Finally you let out some of your toughness!' _**she inwardly shrugged,_ 'I got used to it from scolding Naruto.' _

A mass of missing nin now known as sound nin gathered behind Sakura. Sakura slipped on her gloves, her emerald green eyes darker than usual. _'Lots of blood is going to be shed tonight…' _she thought, cringing on the inside. **_'You realize that when you go through with this, no one in Konoha will look at you the same way again?' _**her inner self said. _'…I understand.' _

She led the group to the gates of the Konohagakure. She sighed as she saw the view of the peaceful city. _'…Forgive me.' _She pleaded in her head. She looked at the ninja behind her, then back at the peaceful city that was in a matter of seconds going to become a battleground.

"Well wench?" Kenji spat at her, "What're you waiting for? Don't tell me you care about this pathetic excuse of a village." Sakura clenched her fist, but remained silent. She sighed, tightening her black gloves. "Attack." She said in a barely audible voice. She cleared her voice, "Attack!"

And all hell broke loose.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_'That chakra…' _Sasuke thought, trailing the footsteps he figured was Sakura's thanks to his Sharingan, _'Sakura's nearby…'_ He pushed his speed ten-fold until he realized he was in the middle of a forest. _'Kuso…!' _he thought, _'She mislead her tracks. She must've known someone would've followed her, that someone being me…' _

He turned to leave until he heard a very faint screaming from a far distance. _'Those screams…' _Sasuke thought, turning his body, _'They're coming from Konoha.' _His crimson blood eyes scanned over the direction of Konoha. He smelled smoke not too far, and saw there was a nasty fire spreading rapidly. Only one thought ran through his mind.

_'Konoha's under attack!' _

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sakura and the group of sound nin entered quickly, shocking innocent villagers. The pink-haired kunoichi felt deep remorse, but knew there was nothing she could do. She had to follow orders, she swore to the snake sannin she would. Screams filled her ears as no one was spared. Not even women or children.

Blood splattered onto Sakura as she ran through Konoha, killing any leaf ninja that got in her way mercilessly. Being a medic nin, she knew where all the vital points of the human body was and aimed at those spots perfectly with her kunai in her hand and senbon in her mouth.

Her pink hair whipped around her head as she ran through the streets of Konohagakure. She looked for the one person she didn't want to see: Sasuke. Five kunai were aimed for her and she jumped back, landing safely on the roof of a house. "S…Sakura-chan?!" Naruto's astonished and baffled voice said.

"Sakura-chan! Konoha's under attack! We need your help!" he called out to the Hokage's apprentice. Sakura blinked, a frown forming on her porcelain face. Naruto ran to her, jumping towards her when he was at a safe distance. He landed in front of her, grasping her shoulders tightly.

"Sakura-chan, do you hear me?! Konoha's under attack! Don't just freeze, help protect our home!" Sakura lowered her head and Naruto frowned. "S-Sakura-chan…?" Sakura slowly raised her hand, taking the senbon out of her mouth. She looked at the gaped Naruto with moist emerald eyes, "F-Forgive me…Naruto…"

Not having it in her heart to kill the blond shinobi that was like a brother to her, she stabbed the senbon in a light pressure point on his neck. His body fell limp and went to the ground unconscious; the last thing she saw in his cerulean blue eyes was sadness…

…and betrayal.

She let his body fall on the tiled roof, then grabbed some rope she had brought with her and bound him to a nearby tree. _'I'll gather all the hostages here…' _she thought, marking into the tree with a symbol to remind her with the help of her sharp kunai. Hearing another kunai fly to her in the distance, she took the metal and the sound of metal clanging against metal echoed on the empty blood-splattered walls.

In front of her was none other than the legendary copy nin Hatake Kakashi. His only visible coal eye held deep sadness when he saw his own student betraying their hometown. "Any particular reason for the betrayal, Sakura?" he asked her nonchalantly. "I never felt any connection with this city," Sakura spat, "I merely acted all of my emotions to you, Naruto, Sasuke-kun, everyone else. So don't give me the guilty act."

She crouched down to a fighting stance, "I'm not a little girl anymore, Kakashi-sensei." Kakashi sighed under his mask, "That's right Sakura. Little girls don't become traitors." His words stung deeply in her heart, but the young kunoichi did her best to mask the pain.

Screams echoed from their battlefield as teacher fought student. Kakashi, not using his full strength, attacked Sakura who didn't use her full strength either. _'If I get him to use all of his chakra,' _Sakura calculated in her head, _'I have a chance of winning this thing.' _She smiled at the thought.

Just then, a large bang was heard. Her eyes widened at the sound of the collapse. _'Wh-what the hell?!' _she thought, seeing it was a Great Oak Tree that fell. Her eyes widened and her body stiffened when deadly aura filled the atmosphere. Kakashi, knowing he was needed elsewhere and knowing who the deadly chakra belonged to, disappeared in a puff of smoke.

There was a concrete wall that set the boundary between the city of Konoha and the forest outside it's walls. Sakura felt like the world beneath her was breaking. A big explosion was heard, and lots of smoke filled the space of the explosion. The concrete wall had broken…from what looked like a simple hit of the fist.

Sakura narrowed her eyes, trying to see who it was. The concrete breaking was no big surprise to her, she could do it herself easily anyway. A grim frown spread across her lips when the smoke cleared. There, clad in the curse seal and surrounded by visible purple chakra, was Sasuke, Sharingan and all.

"Sakura…" he breathed out, death and venom clear in his tone. Sakura felt her apple green orbs grow moist. "Sasuke-kun…" she said painfully. "What the fuck Sakura? One minute you're at the hospital, the next you're leading an attack on Konoha. What the hell is going on with you?" Sasuke said, his Sharingan's tomoes twirling madly.

A lone tear fell down her cheek. "…Sasuke-kun…"

"...I'm so sorry."

**A/N: Dun, dun, DUN! –audience gasps– Did ANY of you see that coming?! Man, it was fun writing this chapter! I mean, REALLY fun! So, read and review, hope you liked it!!!!!**

**Did I mention? _READ AND REVIEW!_** **(Updates may come faster if you do, cough cough)**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: I'm going to make this chapter extra long as a reward for my awesome reviewers being so patient with me. I really appreciate it guys!**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto.

**Betrayal – Chapter 15**

Kunai flew threw the air, the metal clanging against each other as the sound echoed through the blood stained walls. "I don't want to fight you Sasuke-kun…" Sakura whispered to herself. Sasuke's sharp ears heard her quiet comment. **_'You wouldn't have to if you killed Orochimaru,' _**Inner Sakura said.

The Uchiha Prodigy said nothing as he continued to attack. He charged at her, a kunai whipped in his hand in the blink of an eye. His arm moved to strike her when he appeared in front of her, but she defended it with a kunai of her own. "Do you hate me?" she asked, looking straight into his Sharingan gaze.

"Shut up," he retorted harshly. "Just shut up." With his free hand, he threw a punch towards her. Sakura caught it, her expression pained. "You do hate me." she said.

"I told you," he said, boring his blood red eyes threw her jade green ones, "to shut up." Sakura felt her breath hitch in her throat for a split second before she regained her composure.

"You think I _want _to do this?" She said. "I don't have a choice!"

Sasuke scoffed, "Don't give me that shit." He formed a few hand seals and his hands came to his mouth. Fire flew, hiding sharp kunai. Sakura quickly dodged them all, landing a safe distance away from Sasuke.

She sent her chakra filled fist towards the ground, creating a deep, sharp fissure that made the earth quake from the massive power. "I don't want to hurt you," The pink-haired ninja admitted.

A sneer appeared on Sasuke's face. Sakura's emerald green eyes visibly saddened. "Don't look at me like that." Sasuke growled.

_'Why does he have to make this so hard on me?' _Sakura thought. _ **'He isn't making it hard. It's your emotions that's making this hard…you can't deny the fact that you love him, and that over all the years of "faking" your emotions you secretly meant them.' **_her inner self responded.

"If you stop the invasion now," Sasuke said, "your punishment may not be as severe."

The medic nin looked at the ground shamefully, "I've already caused to much damage," she whispered, "I killed too many people."

"I betrayed everyone's trust, I shouldn't even be here," Sakura pulled out a few shuriken, holding the cutting blades in between her fingers. "Will you forgive me?"

Dark raven bangs covered Sasuke's eyes. "It's too late."

"You don't understand! I'm doing this for a reason! I'm doing it—" she paused, looking down at the shuriken she held in both of her hands. "I'm doing this for you," she whispered.

"Why do you always do everything for me?" Sasuke asked monotone.

"I…I…" she gulped and yelled out, "I'm doing this because I care for you!" _'I love you dammit!' _her mind screamed out, _'I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you!' _

Sasuke's curse seal pulsed, making more marks mar Sasuke's pale skin with power full of evil intent. _'Kuso, I'm losing it…' _Sasuke groaned, gripping his head before forcing himself to endure the pain.

Sakura noticed his struggle, and worry immediately flashed across her face. She used her fast speed, appearing in front of him and placed a hand on his shoulder. Sasuke groaned again from the contact, her small hand on his shoulder giving him burning, searing pain.

"Get away from me," he hissed to her. Sakura gasped when he looked at her and grinned a dark grin. "S…Sasuke-kun?" He licked his lips in an evil manner.

Her eyes shut tightly when his coarse hand gripped her neck tightly. Sasuke lifted her small body off the ground, walking until her back was pressed against a wall. Blood smeared her clothes.

"Open your eyes," he ordered. "Let me see…" Shocked green eyes slowly opened and looked down at him, "Your pain…let me see it." The way he said it sent a shiver down her spine.

Sakura gripped his wrist that held her up with both of her hands in an attempt to break from his grasp. But since he had seen her strength, he had learned to stop her massive strength and counter against it.

His hand pressed tighter against her neck and Sakura let out a small sound of pain. The sound excited Sasuke's twisted demons that lurked inside him, sending him over the edge of his blood lust.

"Sasuke-kun…stop…!" Sakura gasped out. Sasuke growled in response, his free hand gripping his face tightly.

"Sakura…get away from me…" Sasuke managed to say. He let her go, his curse seal throbbing as it pulsed visibly.

Sakura's body dropped to the ground, creating a small _thud_. She breathed loudly, gasping in a lot of air. Her hand immediately went to her neck, her throat red from almost getting suffocated to death.

Sasuke stepped a few steps backward, his large hand covering his face as he gripped it tightly. Sakura's vision became slightly blurry as haze glazed over her eyes. Blinking her eyes repeatedly for a few times, her vision became slightly clearer.

"Sasuke-kun…" she whispered, "What's…what's wrong?" She cautiously approached him. A shaky hand rested on his shoulder, and she pulled it back immediately when she felt him tense.

"I can help you…" she whispered.

"You've already caused enough damage…" Sasuke said hoarsely. He turned his face to hers, his Sharingan tomoes swirling rapidly in his blood red eyes.

"Get…get out of here…Sakura…" Sasuke breathed out, pushing himself up off the ground.

Sakura got up as well. "W-what?! What are you…?"

"Get out of here…make sure you're a good distance away from here…" Sasuke looked intently at Sakura as she walked in front of him. "You won't get caught…if you get out, you won't get caught…"

"Sasuke-kun—I'm not leaving you like th—" Sasuke cut her off, crashing his lips on hers as he kissed her fiercely. _'Sasuke-kun…' _she thought when she felt him pull back.

"Get out of here, I'll find you and meet you later," Sasuke ordered, encircling his arms around her waist as he picked her up and carried her a small distance away from the outskirts of Konoha.

"But—But where do I go?" Sakura asked. "And…what about you? I can't just—"

"It doesn't matter where you go, I'll find you. If you don't get out of here, you're going to get killed, don't you understand? _I'm _going to kill you!" he told her. "I can't keep my curse seal under control for very long, and I'm not losing someone close to me again."

"I don't care what happens to me! I care what happens to _you_!"

"Dammit Sakura, don't make this harder than it already is. Get out of here!" Just as Sakura was about to respond, he disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Sakura looked towards the ground, absent-mindedly touching her mouth. _'Sasuke-kun…why did you kiss me?' _she wondered in her head. She clenched her fists tightly, "Stupid, stupid, stupid! Why do you always have to do everything by yourself?! Can't you accept help every once in a while?!"

She sighed. _'Why would you want to risk letting me go after everything I've done…?' _Guilt began making its way into her head. _'I shouldn't have…I should have never…!' _She quickly left, deciding to follow Sasuke's orders and go somewhere abandoned.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"What the hell?! What do you mean Sakura's gone?!" Tsunade yelled, standing up from her chair and slamming both of her fists down on her mahogany desk, creating a crack.

Sasuke remained his stoic expression, blinking his onyx gaze.

It had been two hours since the invasion, and Konoha ninja had successfully managed to stop the enemy attack, but with the sacrifice and loss of many skilled ninja.

"Sakura lead the attack, and escaped soon after," Sasuke said, lying easily. Tsunade sat back down, rubbing her temples in an effort to calm her down.

"And you let her go? Just like that? Not what I expected, Uchiha," Tsunade said, "Do you have any idea where she went?"

"No."

The blonde-haired woman sighed, "I see."

A moment of silence passed, and Sasuke, feeling there was no more to be said, turned around to leave.

"Wait, Uchiha," Tsunade said. Sasuke, still looking forward, pointed his eyes to the back of his head.

"In this 'encounter' you had with her, are you _sure _that's all that happened?" She crossed her arms over her chest, "Because if you are lying, you know the consequences."

"Aa," he responded, exiting the Hokage's office. Once he left, Tsunade rubbed her temples again.

"Oh Sakura…why did you do this?" The Godaime said sadly.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"I should have never attacked Konoha, I should've just killed Orochimaru when I had the chance…" Sakura said. She was in the middle of a forest, next to a lake as she sat in one of the branches of a high tree.

She rocked her feet back and forth, her left palm resting on the bark of the tree as the moonlight shone down on the lake in front of her, reflecting off of it and giving her body a silver glow.

She took out a kunai, flipping the blade back and forth in one hand. She paused it, looking at the reflection. "I broke everyone's trust, including Sasuke-kun's…I shouldn't…I shouldn't even be alive." Guilt began eating away at her will to live.

Concentrating her chakra to her feet, she walked down the tree and walked on top of the water, staring at her reflection from the crystal water. "Everyone…I hope you'll forgive me…eventually…"

She held the kunai over her wrist, closed her eyes, and held her breath.

**A/N: Am I evil for leaving it there? Oh well. Again, thanks for being so patient everyone. I went to CANADA and there was no computers for me to use, so I couldn't update. Anyway, that little end section wasn't my idea, more like a "suggestion" from my sister so I thought I'd add it. –shrug- nothing to lose. anyway, read and review please!**

**Important: Guys, I would've uploaded this a WHOLE lot sooner, but fanfiction was being a butt and not letting me upload this!**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N:**** I'm SO sorry for the long time to update! Please FORGIVE me! **

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto.

**Betrayal – Chapter 16**

Sasuke left the Godaime's office, hearing her last comment. _"Oh Sakura…why did you do this?"_ He was thinking the same thing in his mind. He raced off into the streets of Konoha, it had grown dark as the chilly temperature of night filled the air. _'I'm going to find you Sakura,' _Sasuke thought. _'You aren't getting away so easily.'_

He jumped from tree to tree once he left the outskirts of the town village. He used his powerful legs to carry him fast. Even though it was just a gut feeling, he thought, he knew something wrong was going to happen with Sakura.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sakura lifted up the kunai, aiming the sharp end down so that it would slash her wrists. She closed her eyes; she didn't do this type of things. Suicide was normally the last thought from her mind, but now, it was all she could do that she thought would give her salvation from her deep guilt.

She clenched her teeth, preparing herself for the self-inflicted blow she was about to receive. She pulled the kunai down, waiting for the sharp metal to break her skin, piercing it as crimson liquid would rise up, soon leading to her death from too much blood loss. But when no such thing happened, she opened her eyes. Her emerald green eyes widened and gasped.

There, in front of her, were Orochimaru's men, all assembled. Because of the dark, Sakura couldn't tell exactly how many Sound ninja were there. She only estimated from the chakra that there was at least 20. One of the Sound ninja, which she soon realized was Kenji, held on to her wrist that held her kunai, and twisted her other free wrist behind her back.

"What do you think you're doing, pipsqueak?" Kenji taunted, pulling the grip he had on her wrist behind her back even tighter. Sakura narrowed her emerald green eyes.

"Let me go," She spat at him. "Who do you think you're messing with?"

"Don't threaten me, little cherry blossom," Kenji fired back. "You're not that great a threat anyway. Just because you were apprentice to Orochimaru-sama and is his favorite doesn't mean you can boss us around."

"Then what are you doing here?" Sakura asked, biting the inside of her mouth to prevent herself from making any noise when Kenji twisted her wrist.

"Orochimaru-sama sent us, he wants to speak with you," he answered.

"Then why are you holding me like some hostage?" Sakura said, her temper beginning to rise as she summoned chakra to her hands.

"It's his orders," Kenji answered back coolly. He twisted her wrist that held the kunai, making her drop it, and pulled the other wrist behind her back and held it there, just like her other wrist. Sakura clenched her teeth hard. She felt the feeling she was getting from his moving her wrists like this. She felt so _weak_, because she didn't have the strength to stop him, since she used most of her strength battling Sasuke.

"So I see you decided to cooperate, pipsqueak," Kenji taunted her, whispering into her ear. "Beauty and brains." Sakura felt the urge to gag at the compliment.

"Too bad I can't say the same about you," The pink-haired girl retorted, glaring hard at the Sound ninja as she turned her head as far as she could to try her best to face him. The man chuckled before her. He was about Sakura's age, from the look of it. His shaggy brown hair and piercing brown eyes were bored on his face.

"Enough talk, we need to leave now," Kenji announced. He bent down, grasping Sakura's arms behind her back with one arm, as the other arm latched around her waist, getting a firm grip on it as he bent his knees, preparing himself to jump. Then he felt another chakra coming towards him and his army of Sound ninja. The strong chakra aroused his curiosity, as he took his time in leaving.

_'That chakra…' _Sakura thought. She, too, had sensed the massive wave of chakra. The ninja who contained the chakra had to obviously be very strong; the energy was sensed miles away. The pink-haired girl only knew one person with that strong of chakra. _**'Scream! Make him know you're here!' **_Inner Sakura yelled.

But she refused to oblige. Screaming, she thought, would make her sound like a damsel in distress. And Haruno Sakura did not need someone to come to her rescue. She was a fine kunoichi, trained under Orochimaru, and then trained under the Godaime herself! No, she would _not _scream for Sasuke to come save her.

"Sakura," Sasuke called out, landing on the ground with Sharingan flashing on his eyes. The tomoes swirled when he saw her held captive by another Sound nin, he figured from the headband symbol Kenji was wearing.

"Let her go," Sasuke said quietly, but sternly. Kenji gave Sasuke an evil grin, pulling Sakura closer to his body as Sakura sneered from the tighter grip. _'This could just be a genjutsu…' _Sasuke thought, but he immediately got rid of the unnecessary thought. He had this Sharingan, and his blood red eyes could tell if it were an illusion.

Without saying another word, Sasuke formed a few hand seals, and with a _poof!_, he was gone. He reappeared behind Kenji, a kunai placed against his neck as Sasuke growled out, "Let her go." A snarl was on his face as he threatened the brown-haired man.

"And if I don't?" Kenji taunted. Sakura began struggling from his grip when she felt him loosen up a bit, but then he tightened it, loosening it to get a kunai from his hip pouch and place it against Sakura's neck. "What now, Uchiha? It's your call. Kill me, you kill her."

Sasuke clenched his teeth. _'I don't have time for this,' _he thought in his mind. Back in Konoha, Tsunade was sure to have noticed the absence of Sasuke by now. And since he left without permission, she could think it was treason against the Leaf Village, and he could become a missing nin.

"It's your funeral," Sasuke muttered, thrusting the kunai down into his throat. Just as it was a centimeter away from hitting Kenji's neck, the Sound ninja disappeared, Sakura still in his grasp, as the rest of the Sound ninja followed his disappearance.

"Kuso…" Sasuke mumbled, putting his kunai back with his other weapons. A light breeze blew by as the young Uchiha paused, anticipating what to do next, and figuring out where they were going to take her. It didn't take him long to figure it out. _'Orochimaru,' _Sasuke sneered at the name.

He raced off to Orochimaru's layer, absentmindedly placing a hand on his curse seal, a hard glare on his pale features. _'That snake bastard is going straight to hell this time,' _Sasuke thought. His grip on the curse seal tightened, _'I'll make sure of it.' _

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kenji dragged Sakura across the floors of Orochimaru's layer. Once at the door, Kenji kicked it open, revealing the snake sannin himself, and his trustworthy assistant Kabuto. They both sensed Sakura's chakra, and didn't turn around as Sakura was finally let go and pushed towards the two.

Sakura turned around with a scowl at Kenji, but she left before she could fully look at him. She straightened up, then moved her emerald green eyes towards Orochimaru. "You wanted to see me, Orochimaru," Sakura said.

Orochimaru turned around, an evil leer on his face as he grinned at the pink-haired kunoichi. "I see you executed my plan of the invasion of Konoha, Sakura," the black-haired man said. "A little birdie dropped by, and told me you didn't go fully through with it. Care to explain?"

Sakura narrowed her eyes. _'I knew this was coming,'_ she thought. "I had to escape," Sakura said, thinking of a quick excuse. "They were coming back with strong reinforcements."

"A likely story," the silver-haired medic said. He adjusted his glasses, pushing his fingers on the eye pieces and pushing them up, higher on the bridge of his nose. "I think what happened was that fight you had with Sasuke-kun."

Sakura kept a straight face. "You think my emotions got in the way?" she said, reading the expression on Kabuto's face. The smirk that formed on his face told her the answer. "You think I'm getting emotionally unstable."

"You understand us so perfectly, Sakura-chan," Orochimaru said smoothly. His purple tongue licked his lips in an evil manner. "Kabuto and I were discussing…and we are considering putting you off the mission."

The words made her blood boil. She had spent most of her childhood working for the snake sannin, for more than 7 years she served him, and everything she did, Sakura thought, was going all to waste?

"You are…" Orochimaru took his time. He could feel her anger building up inside her, and he loved every minute of it. "You are _unnecessary_."

"I don't care," Sakura said. She then clenched her fists, and said through gritted teeth, "You still have to teach me the revival jutsu, in return for everything _I've _done." Orochimaru laughed, a laugh that made her want to shred him to bits. She had a suspicion this was going to happen. A small voice in the back of her mind, saying,

_"He's just using you…"_

She wished more than ever that she had listened to that voice. Visible anger flared in her jade green eyes. Her patience cracked. She lunged at the snake sannin, her fist raised in the air, aiming straight for his gold eyes.

Her eyes widened noticeably when Orochimaru disappeared, reappearing right behind her. She quickly swerved around on her foot, swinging her foot, followed by her fist. Orochimaru evaded both attacks, and just as she was about to strike again with a chakra-filled fist, Kabuto came by surprise to Sakura. He took one of her wrists, bending it, and breaking it as a sickening _crack!_ echoed against the walls.

An earsplitting scream erupted from Sakura's mouth. She put her hand over her broken wrist quickly healing it. She got back up again, punching a surprised Kabuto from her quick healing hard in the stomach, sending him flying backwards. He crashed into the wall, forming a few cracks in the concrete.

Sakura, her face in a dark scowl, turned to Orochimaru, who was pleased at the waves of fury radiated off of her. _**'He's tricking you!' **_Inner Sakura warned, but Outer Sakura wouldn't listen. She was on a road of fury, and nothing would stop her.

Sakura used the speed in her legs and charged at Orochimaru, sprinting with all the speed she had. She swung a fist and a leg again at the same time, and as Orochimaru jumped to evade the attack, she did a swift uppercut, and the snake sannin barely missed the would-have-been-deadly blow.

He formed a few seals, and shadow snakes came out from his arm towards the medic nin. She took a shuriken and tossed them at the snakes, cutting a few. Then Sakura concentrated her chakra to her fists, hitting the ground with all her might. An earthquake erupted, and it threatened to tear down Orochimaru's whole lair. Sakura smirked at her massive strength.

"You think you're getting away so easily?!" Orochimaru yelled, his face resembled a face of one might think were insane. He started laughing; Sakura made a few hand seals and left just as the ceiling began to crumble.

She reappeared a safe distance away, her back turned what had been Orochimaru's lair as it crumbled, the wind carrying the dust away. Sakura closed her emerald green orbs, reopening them again when she felt another chakra.

"Killed him?" Sasuke asked monotone, coming out from one of the trees, arms crossed over his chest as he looked at the Godaime's apprentice. Sakura looked at the ground, taking her time to respond.

"I think so," she murmured quietly. _'But…that would be too easy,'_ her subconscious mind thought. Sakura moved her eyes upwards, landing on Sasuke's neck as she searched for the curse mark in the wide collar of his shirt. As far as she could see, she didn't see the black seal.

A relief of reassurance flowed through her body. _'Now…all I have to do is deal with everyone back in Konohagakure,' _she thought to herself.

"Sasuke-ku—"

_Slash—_

SPLAT

Sakura's mouth gaped, her eyes widened as saucers. Blood splattered on the floor, red staining the healthy green grass. Her eyes shakily traveled down from Sasuke's face to his arm…

Where his hand held a kunai.

The mark he had made was deep, so much blood flowed out of her system, she didn't have enough time to muster up the chakra to heal herself. Her mind was too clouded with questions.

_Why Sasuke-kun?_

_I thought—why did you hit me?_

_Are you trying to kill me?_

_Did I anger you that much?_

_Since when the sudden change of heart?_

_I thought—_

_I thought—_

_I __**thought**__—_

And then, just as her vision began to blurry, the world around her become hazy, she saw it. The very thing she thought she was gone. The curse seal.

And it was _pulsing_.

**A/N:**** Okay, I left **_**quite**_** the ending there. : Anyway, I hope you liked that chapter. It was more longer than I intended on giving you, but since I left you with such a cliffy, I decided to make it up to you. Why? Because my reviewers are worth it! **

**And if you want to do something in return, just review. That's all I ask. Not too hard, right:)**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N:**** Hmm, last chapter is going to be a tough one to top. But I'll try. Oh, did anyone notice that's it's my birthday today? (6.14.07) No one (On here anyway) said "Happy Birthday!" to me! Haha, its okay though. Hope you like this chapter.**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto.

**Betrayal – Chapter 17**

He had hit her on the collarbone, but by last-minute reflexes she managed to move herself backwards, but not far enough so that he wouldn't strike her. The mark would have been deeper if she had not moved back, and it would have been fatal. Blood seeped out through the wound, and Sakura's shaky hand moved and hovered over it. She didn't have much chakra, since she used more than she intended to use on the fight with her former master, Orochimaru.

Sasuke had his bangs over his eyes, making it hard to read the expression on his face. His hand was still up, holding the kunai that dripped fresh with Sakura's blood. The said girl had pushed in as much healing chakra as she could on her injury, her hand glowing green as she tried to seal the cut that Sasuke had made with his kunai.

But just as she tried to heal, Sasuke leapt forward, lunging at her with the weapon in hand. Sakura dodged, jumping backwards as Sasuke kept on trying to strike her, using the speed in his legs. It continued until Sakura was eventually backed up in a tree, Sasuke dangerously holding the kunai next to her neck. Sweat trickled down the side of Sakura's head.

"What's wrong with you?" she whispered to him. "Do you have any idea what you're about to do right now?" Her emerald green eyes trailed down once again to his neck, and when they found the curse seal, the black mark was pulsing harder—but she noticed something. It wasn't black, it had changed into a purple color, and it began to spread throughout his body, covering his arms, legs, chest, and face. Instead of purple chakra surrounding him, it was a powerful black.

"Did you think you'd get away so easily?" A familiar voice seethed. "I warned you, Sakura_-chan_." Orochimaru came out, walking next to Sasuke who still had the kunai pressed against Sakura's neck. _'I knew it,' _her mind thought. _'I knew he wouldn't die that easily.' _

"What have you done to Sasuke-kun?" Sakura demanded harshly. She glared at him, gritting her teeth as she clenched her fists tightly. The medic nin looked down at her wound, it was getting worse. She began to scold herself mentally when she saw the wound turning black. _'Damn, I should've known. Sasuke always had poison in his kunai.' _

"I've done nothing to him," Orochimaru said. "I've merely put some good use to the 'gift' I gave him." He grinned at her, and Sakura shot him back a look of hate and disgust. The pink-haired girl felt her body begin to grow numb, her legs began to give out on her.

She lowered down, sitting on the ground when her legs were finally unable to support her weight due to the poison. "Good," Orochimaru said, licking his upper lip. "I see the poison has taken it's effect on you." He turned to the Uchiha Prodigy. "Now, Sasuke-kun, how about we finish her off." Sasuke's bangs finally moved out of his eyes, revealing the blood red eyes of the Sharingan.

Sasuke lifted Sakura up by her collar, hoisting her numb body over his shoulder. Orochimaru grinned wider, and after making a few hand seals, they both disappeared.

-

-

-

Sakura had eventually lost consciousness as Sasuke and Orochimaru walked through his new lair. They stopped at a dungeon-like room, and Orochimaru ordered, "You know what to do here." Sasuke's expression remained stoic as Orochimaru walked away from them.

Sasuke kicked the door open, laying Sakura down on the ground so that her back was leaning against the wall. "Sakura," Sasuke called out. The black marks that had marred his skin had receded back to his curse seal, and his Sharingan eyes returned to their dark, onyx orbs.

"Sakura," Sasuke called out again, a little louder than before as he began to shake her. Sakura groaned quietly, her eyes fluttering open. When she looked up at Sasuke, she felt an intense pain on her body. She winced, her hand absent-mindedly hovering over the cut Sasuke had given her earlier.

She looked down at her hand when she felt dried blood. "How'd I get this?" Sakura asked. "And why are you here? What have you done with me?" Sasuke narrowed his eyes but said nothing. Sakura tried to get up, but sharp pain went throughout her whole body, and she made a small cry of pain.

"Don't move," Sasuke told her. "You were poisoned, and your whole body hasn't recovered yet." He kept his gaze on her face, raising an eyebrow when she refused to meet his dark gaze.

"What happened to you?" Sakura asked, her voice barely above a whisper. "Why'd you pretend to be one of Orochimaru's lackey? You know that he's just using you. He's planning to take over your body."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at the news. He had a suspicion that Orochimaru was planning to do that, his suspicion coming from information Kakashi had told him. "You need to get out of here," Sasuke muttered. "Go back to Konoha. I'll meet you there, I'll finish off Orochimaru."

"You're crazy if you think I'm going to listen," Sakura shot back. "This is my fight, I'm going to kill him. Not _you_." Sasuke growled at her stubbornness.

"I'm not going to lose another close person," Sasuke told her.

"I'm not going to either. I'm going to _avenge _them," Sakura fought back. "Orochimaru killed my parents. There's no way I'm letting him get away with it."

-

-

-

_An eight-year-old crying Sakura ran through the house. "Sakura-chan, get out of here!" Her mother cried, pushing her daughter out of the way as a blade came crashing down. "Leave, go get help!"_

_"Mommy!" Sakura cried. "I'm scared—Mommy!" _

_"GO!" Her mother yelled. Sakura screamed when the ninja holding the blade pierced it right through her mother's heart. The Haruno woman's eyes rolled to the back of her head, her body going limp as she fell back, crashing her back against the table she fell on._

_"You're next," the assassin whispered dangerously. Sakura cried, screaming as loud as her lungs would let her as she ran through her house. _'Run as far as you can, little one,' _the assassin thought. _'But I'll still catch you anyway.'

_"Daddy! Stop this!" Sakura cried. "Why are you doing this?! What did mommy ever do to you?!" She ran blindly, tears falling out of her big, moist, jade green eyes. She ran into the wall, a searing pain running to her head as she had hit her head against the concrete wall. She looked up, quietly sobbing when she saw a happy portrait of her, her mother, and her father, all smiling at the photographer._

_Her eyes widened like saucers when she saw a blade fly into the wall, centimeters from her head. "Stop it!" Sakura screamed when her father walked in the room, grinning sadistically as he pulled out another sword from it's sheath, running his fingertip along the edge of the blade. _

_"You want to know why I'm doing this Sakura-chan?" her father said. Sakura pressed her hands together, holding them in front of her face, trying to block the bad image from her eyes. "Orochimaru promised me power," he told his daughter. "And I'm going to achieve it."_

_Sakura ran past him, running back to her mother's corpse. Her father followed, and just as he was about to strike her with his sword, a kunai came out, piercing his heart as he fell on his wife's body._

_ "Otousan…okaasan…" Sakura wept, kneeling down at their bodies once she had walked up to them. "Why are you sleeping? Wake up..."_

_She tried nudging her mother's blood-covered shoulder, then moving over to try her father. Nothing. "Wake up…I don't like this!" She then heard a sound not too far, and she whipped around, panic and fear evident in her frightened emerald orbs. "Don't be afraid," a voice said, "I'm not here to hurt you."_

_"Wh-Who are you? And why are okaasan and otousan…" the little girl choked on sobs before she could complete her sentence. "You have nothing to worry about," the voice said, coming out of the shadows to reveal the snake sannin himself, "I'm not going to hurt you." He reassured her._

_Sakura scrambled backwards, trying to hide herself in her parents' dead bodies. "My name's Orochimaru." _

-

-

-

"I'm supposed to be torturing you right now," Sasuke told her. "That's what Orochimaru expects me to do." Sakura kept her gaze firm as she looked at him.

"Then do it."

"I'm not going to hurt you," Sasuke said in a tone that was just as firm as her gaze was to him.

"Then I'll do it," Sakura said. "As long as I get the chance to kill Orochimaru." Sasuke stared into her eyes, looking at the determined look she held in her eyes, a look he hadn't seen in a long time.

"Aa," Sasuke muttered. "Then here's what we'll do."

-

-

-

Sasuke walked back into Orochimaru's lair. "Have you completed your task Sasuke-kun?" The snake sannin asked. "Is she disposed of?" Sasuke nodded dully, his onyx orbs holding no emotion. Orochimaru licked his lips, satisfied. "Good. Now come, I have a mission for you."

Sasuke walked up slowly, taking his time. He silently noted how Orochimaru wasn't at his full strength. _'Probably exhausted from his earlier fight with Sakura,' _the young Uchiha concluded in his head. As he walked, a kunai was thrown, flying through him and passed him at Orochimaru. The said man caught it with ease in between his fingers, and then turned, looking passed Sasuke with a knowing look.

"You honestly think I didn't know Sasuke-kun?" Orochimaru hissed at them. "Don't doubt my abilities. I know you didn't really kill the kunoichi." His gold eyes looked at Sasuke for a brief second, then smirked and looked passed him. "Come on out, _Sakura-chan_."

Sakura walked out, her appearance bruised and cut with dried blood on her wounds. Orochimaru grinned evilly, doing a few hand seals until he revealed his true form. A big, enormous white snake formed from Orochimaru's body, hissing dangerously and threateningly at the two ninja before them.

Sasuke looked at Sakura from the corner of his eyes. She was focused, from what he could tell. Sakura crouched down, grabbing a few shuriken and kunai from her hip pouch. She threw them at the giant basilisk—the true form of Orochimaru—and the snake dodged, hissing louder.

Sasuke ran at him, forming a few hand seals as he performed the Uchiha's classic move: Katon: Gokakyuu no Jutsu. The large fireball erupted from his mouth, aiming at Orochimaru. He then took out his sword of Kusanagi, infusing his Chidori in the strong blade.

He thrust it at Orochimaru, using his great speed to catch up, running side by side with the speed of the blade. Orochimaru missed it, then lunged at Sasuke, baring his fangs. Sakura appeared then, punching the snake between its eyes, sending it flying backwards. Little snakes flew out of him, and Sakura used her kunai and shuriken to cut them off, blood splitting on the ground.

_'He's still weak from my battle earlier with him,' _Sakura thought. _'Good.' _She jumped at him, punching him again and again until he was harshly punched into the wall. The wall cracked from the great weight upon it, pieces of concrete hitting Orochimaru. Sasuke appeared right next to the basilisk that currently lied on its side, holding his katana right at Orochimaru's head. "You wanted to kill him, didn't you?" Sasuke asked monotone.

Sakura nodded, going up to Sasuke. He handed her his blade, and she smiled at him, putting her hand over his and striking the blade down. Orochimaru hissed loudly, the sound deafening as it screeched throughout the walls. When his body began to disintegrate, Sakura let go of Sasuke's katana, and he placed it back in his sheath. "Thanks," Sakura said to him, flashing him one of her genuine smiles.

Sasuke looked at her, nodding, and Sakura frowned at his next sentence. "We need to get you back to Konoha."

"Sasuke-kun, I can't go back," Sakura said quietly. "Not after what I did."

Sasuke pursed his lips together, "You have to go back," he told her. "You're going to make it worse if you don't."

"Tsunade-shishou's not going to forgive me for what I did."

"You don't know that."

"I'll only go back, on one condition," Sakura said, walking up to Sasuke. He looked down when she stopped in front of him. The look he gave her knew that he wanted her to continue. "I'll only go back if you're there with me."

Sasuke gave her a hard stare, his dark onyx orbs studying her face intently. After a few minutes of silence, he nodded. "Aa."

"Promise?" Sakura inquired, a small smile on her face.

"…Aa."

**A/N:**** Okay, I don't think this topped the last chapter, but oh well. And yes, I suck at fight scenes. It's my BIRTHDAY today though, so I'm just happy I got this out! Read and review!**

**Oh yeah, one more thing. This story might be coming to a close soon, so maybe a few more chapters, then the end. I just highly think that right now, but I'm not sure.**


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N:**** Extra long chapter for such a long while to update. Finally a new chapter!**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto.

**Betrayal – Chapter 18**

"Haruno Sakura, do you have _any _idea what you have done to the village?" Tsunade asked, tapping her desk impatiently as Sakura uncomfortably fidgeted with Sasuke by her side. Shizune, who stood by Tsunade, had her hands placed in front of her holding a suitcase as she gave Sakura a disappointed look. The roseate-haired girl bit her lower lip, guilt eating away at her. "Answer me, Sakura," Tsunade ordered.

"Yes," answered Sakura, in a meek tone. "I do know what I did, and Tsunade-shishou, it wasn't my intention to hurt anyone, I was just trying to—" Tsunade sighed, her elbows propped on her mahogany desk, her fingers laced together and placed in front of her mouth.

"Regardless Sakura, you caused great damage." Tsunade pursed her lips together before speaking again, "We haven't had this much damage since Orochimaru attacked the Third, according what the shinobi tell me." Sakura felt even guiltier, not knowing how to answer. "And do not call me 'Tsunade-shishou', I am no longer your teacher."

The hurt Sakura felt flashed across her green eyes. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

"I don't know what to do with you," Tsunade told her. "The right thing to do would be to punish you for your actions, but since you are—_were_ my apprentice, the decision is difficult."

Sasuke furrowed his eyebrows, a deep scowl on his pale, handsome face.

"This doesn't concern you, Uchiha," Tsunade countered, seeing the look that he was giving her as she gave a fierce look in return.

"She killed him," Sasuke stated simply. "Orochimaru is dead." Tsunade's eyes grew at this, but she quickly regained her calm composure.

"No matter if she killed him," Tsunade said. "That doesn't just get her off the hook. She still has to be punished for her actions, regardless of her being my apprentice. But for now, Haruno Sakura, you are on strict probation for two months. During those months, I will find a time to meet with the Village Elders to discuss what you're punishment will be for your betrayal. They, as well as I, are busy people, after all."

Sakura looked down, her emerald gaze connected with the ground. "For the two months of probation, you are going to be watched by the Uchiha." Tsunade turned her hard look to Sasuke. "And you, you better watch her like a hawk." Sasuke narrowed his onyx orbs, his mouth in a tight line.

The statement through her off guard, her head shooting up to look at the blonde Hokage. _Sasuke? _She thought. "What?" She asked in a louder tone than she would've liked. Tsunade still gave a hard face as Sakura rephrased her words. "But, Tsunade-sama, why Sasuke? Why not Ino, or Naruto, or Kakashi?" Sakura asked, mentally scolding herself for stuttering as she spoke. Tsunade sighed, lacing her fingers together and placing them in front of her mouth, a habit she did often when put with stressful decisions or moments.

"You want to know the honest answer, Sakura?" She asked, as her apprentice nodded. "I don't want to force them into an awkward situation." Tsunade knew that by Sakura's confused expression she would have to explain more. "Because of what you did, they all don't trust you, and I doubt they want the burden of watching over you. Especially Naruto."

It was obvious the hurt and guilt that showed itself in Sakura's dark jade green eyes. "Oh," Sakura said in a dead quiet tone, "I see." _To think, all of this could have been avoidable if I never met that damn Orochimaru! _She thought, gritting her teeth before her face softened. _None of them trust me… even Naruto… no one trusts me._

_**You knew the minute you accepted to go undercover for the mission he gave you; no one would ever trust you. **_Her alter ego pointed out. Sakura once again connected her gaze with the floor, not wanting to see anyone's gazes at the moment.

Tsunade looked at Shizune who merely nodded in return. Shizune walked forward; placing the suitcase she had been holding on a small part of Tsunade's desk and opening it. "To make sure that you don't escape, Sakura" —Shizune held up a needle which was filled with a blue fluid— "You will be given a tracking device that will make sure you don't try and escape again."

"Is this really necessary?" Sasuke asked with an impatient tone and accusing onyx orbs.

Tsunade scowled, "Yes, it is." She looked at the kunoichi. "Sakura, come here and hold out your wrist."

It was clear that Sakura was hesitant about Tsunade's order, but seeing that she had no choice, she moved forward so that she was in front of Tsunade's desk, her right palm facing upwards as Shizune took a firm hold on her wrist. She moved the needle forward, positioning it so that it would be near her pulse, but not so close that it was possibly hit anything vital.

Once Shizune finished positioning the prick, she pressed it into Sakura's skin. The said girl winced at the impact, one of her eyes closing, and soon she started to realize that she felt weak and dizzy. As Sakura was about to pull back her hand, Shizune stopped her, "Not yet Sakura, there's still one more to go." Shizune took another sharp-ended needle, this time with clear liquid except for a small silver device inside. Shizune pressed it inside the same place she pressed the other needle, Sakura wincing once again.

As soon as the black-haired woman let go if Sakura's wrist, the shinobi stumbled backwards a few steps, her left hand grabbing her throbbing head and her other hand grasping Sasuke's left shoulder to keep herself balanced. "What did you do?" Sasuke asked with a blank voice, wondering why Sakura was acting the way she was.

Before Tsunade answered, she held out her hand as Shizune placed a metal looking wristband in it. The Godaime stood up from her desk, walking over as she ordered Sasuke to hold out his right wrist. Sasuke didn't comply, but after a few threats from the Hokage ("If you don't cooperate, Uchiha, you will be punished as well for defying authority, which means I can strip away your shinobi privileges with a wave of my hand!), he held it out, growling at the fact that he had no choice.

Tsunade latched on the metal wristband that stuck to his skin, him watching as she hovered her hands over the device and implanted her chakra inside it. "What the hell are you doing?" Sasuke hissed.

The blonde-haired woman narrowed her golden almond eyes. She took back her hands when she finished. "Sakura was given a shot mixed with fluids that have depleted her chakra, so that way she won't be able to try anything fancy to try and escape. And, the fluids she received are so strong that the only way she can use her chakra is if she gets another shot, a shot that will give her the chakra that she needs. She was also given a microscopic tracking device placed right near her pulse so that she won't have any chance of going somewhere that we won't know about."

Tsunade walked back to her desk, holding a small black box up. "You, Uchiha, were also given a tracker device which is conveniently inside your wristband. You cannot get that wristband off, no matter what you try, so don't waste your time. The only way to get it off is if I imply my chakra inside it like I have already done to seal it. It's water resistant as well, so like I said, don't waste your time.

"There is a limited distance on the wristband. You two can only be within ten feet distance, and if one of you goes any farther, you're wristband will start blinking Uchiha." She lifted her finger, pointing to where a red and green light was, and only the green light was lit. "See those colors? It will only go red if she's too far from you, and you have ten seconds to catch up with her, or for her to go to you, understand?"

"And if it takes longer than ten seconds?"

"In that case, this little box that will be kept on my desk will alert me, and I will send ANBU to go get you two." She looked towards Sakura who was still grasping Sasuke's shoulder to balance herself. "Do you understand, Sakura?"

Sakura nodded, because although Sakura felt light-headed, she was still able to understand most of what Tsunade said.

"Good," Tsunade replied. "Now, do you two understand that you cannot be within five feet distance of each other, and that Uchiha, you are to watch her like a hawk until I find some time to meet with the Village Elders to discuss Sakura's punishment?"

Sasuke gave a brief nod as Sakura nodded slowly, most of her energy drained from the shot Shizune gave her.

Tsunade nodded as well. "Now, leave my office." Without a word Sasuke turned, Sakura clutching his shoulder tightly until she managed to get herself walking on her own two feet and followed him with dragging steps.

When they were out of her office, the Hokage gave a deep sigh, placing her face in her hands for a few moments, then rubbed her temples with her fingers. _What a headache… _"Would you like me to get you anything, Tsunade-sama?" Shizune asked politely.

"Perhaps a bottle of sake, Shizune," Tsunade answered her quietly. A small smile crept on Shizune's face as she nodded, heading out the office to complete the Godaime's request.

-

-

-

"Ugh… my head…" Sakura mumbled to herself. She was following Sasuke, not knowing where they were going, but too exhausted to think of the matter.

It wasn't until he stopped, causing her to bump into his back that made her decide to bring up the question. "Sasuke-kun," she started. "Where are we?" Her head moved up, jade green eyes blinking when she saw that they were in front of his house in the Uchiha district. "What are we doing here?" She asked, obvious confusion etched in her tone.

"You're staying with me." The way he said it made it sound like she had no choice.

"What? Why? What's wrong with my apartment?" Sakura asked.

Sasuke turned to face her, face holding no emotion as it usually did. "Do you think that your small apartment will be able to fit two people?"

Sakura opened her mouth to reply, wanting to say that they could both just stay in their own places, until she remembered what Tsunade had said.

_"There is a limited distance on the wristband. You two can only be within ten feet distance, and if one of you goes any farther, you're wristband will start blinking Uchiha."_

"Oh…" She said quietly. Just then a thought hit her. As Sasuke moved forward to go inside his house, Sakura tapped him on the shoulder. He looked over it, glancing at the kunoichi behind him.

"What?"

"I need some stuff from my apartment."

"Like what?"

"Like some clothes, and—"

"You can wear my clothes."

Sakura frowned, "But yours are too big! And besides, I'm going to need other stuff. Other things that _women _use!" Sasuke narrowed his onyx eyes and Sakura managed a small smile.

She turned around, heading towards the direction of her apartment. Sasuke grunted, reluctantly following her.

As Sakura walked down the streets of Konoha, she noticed a great deal of the damage she caused. A frown set itself on her porcelain face, looking at the burned buildings and the broken windows that her and the shinobi she had come with had caused. She looked towards the direction where Sasuke blew a large hole through the concrete, noticing how it was now taped.

"Sakura," Sasuke called to her. She looked at him, now a few feet ahead of her. "Hurry up." She then realized that she stopped when she was looking at the hole Sasuke had made, quickly running forward to catch up with the impatient Uchiha.

As she walked, she also noticed the looks the passing-by villagers gave her. Looks full of disappointment from the elders, and scowls from fellow shinobi as well as the adult peasants. Young children held eyes of sadness as they saw their home in ruins. _I did all this… I caused all this pain._

Pink bangs covered her eyes as she [for the millionth time that day, she felt looked down at the ground, this time out of shame.

-

-

-

Yamanaka Ino walked down the streets of her home, the Village Hidden in the Leaves. She had finished her lunch break, heading back towards the Yamanaka Flower Shop. Her pretty face held sadness as she looked around at the damage caused by the person whom she thought was a good, trustworthy friend.

She continued walking until she reached the front of the flower shop. She took out the key, placing it inside the doorknob, giving a small twist until she noticed something pink from the corner of her sky blue eye. _Pink hair…? _She turned her face left, her hand still holding her key inside the doorknob of her store.

_Sakura? She's back? _Her face was completely shocked, her mouth hanging open a little. _But what's she doing here? _

Sakura also noticed something blonde from her peripheral vision. She lifted her head slightly from where it was looking down, taking a glance at Ino. When she connected gazes with the blonde kunoichi, Ino's face immediately turned from shocked to a scowl.

Sakura kept the gaze, noticing that even though Ino's expression was a mix of disappointment and anger, that her eyes held sadness. The pink-haired girl blinked before turning her emerald gaze back to the floor.

When Sakura turned away, Ino watched her for a mere moment longer before turning back and unlocking the Yamanaka store. It wasn't until Ino was inside that she noticed that Sakura blinked because her eyes were growing moist, and she didn't want to start tearing up in front of a person who thought she was a traitor.

Ino sighed, looking down. _It must be hard dealing with the way people are treating you, ne, Sakura? _

-

-

-

Sasuke walked with long strides, his dark eyes moving back and forth, looking at the way the villagers were looking at Sakura. He then looked down to Sakura herself, seeing her head hung low. He knew that she would be feeling guilty after what she had done, but seeing Sakura the way she was was not a thing he was used to, but he knew that there was nothing he could do. She brought it upon herself, after all.

Sakura opened her apartment with a small key she kept under her mat. She walked inside silently, feet sweeping across the floor. "Make this quick," Sasuke told her. She merely nodded, quickly getting a few essentials she would need and packing it in a small briefcase. Sasuke waited, leaning against the doorframe with arms crossed over his chest, eyes closed, until she finished.

"Alright, Sasuke-ku—Sasuke, I'm done." Sasuke opened one of his eyes when he noticed her self-correction when it came to using the "-kun" suffix on his name.

"Hn," he said. "Then let's go."

They left her small apartment quickly, Sakura feeling uncomfortable with looking ahead with all the looks the villagers were giving her. With her unique and distinct pink hair, it was obvious that she was the one—the only possible person—that lead the attack on Konoha.

As they headed back towards the Uchiha Compound, they passed by the gate of Konoha. The sun began to set, an orange haze taking place in the sky. Sakura again noticed a blond from the corner of her eye. She stopped walking, Sasuke as well when he stopped hearing her footsteps.

He turned his head over his shoulder to see what was wrong, watching as her face turned, her jade green orbs wide and large, resembling that of a deer caught in headlights. He followed her gaze, seeing a blond walking inside the village.

-

-

-

Naruto walked inside Konohagakure, having just come back from a mission. After the attack from Sakura, all the shinobi were ordered on missions so that way it wouldn't look like they were becoming weak from their attack. Despite the loss of ninja, they had to keep up a strong look so that no enemy village would take the moment to attack.

The Hokage-to-be walked quickly, exhausted from his mission as his body held little cuts and bruises. His cerulean blue eyes noticed two people near the gate, and as he narrowed his eyes, he saw something with raven hair, as well as some pink hair. _Pink? _Naruto thought. There was only one person he knew with that color hair. _Sakura-chan…_

When they were a visible distance from each other (a few yards away), Naruto stopped walking. Sakura's emerald eyes were still wide and large, looking at Naruto as the blond shinobi looked back with a frown, his face showing obvious sadness.

_Naruto… _Sakura thought. At the moment, she just felt like running up to him, hugging him and telling him that she never meant to hurt the village or hurt _him _specifically, and apologizing over and over again, even though she knew that it could not repair the damage that she had caused. She felt her eyes growing moist once again, blinking the wetness away as she kept her gaze with Naruto.

He watched her, then looked at Sasuke who gave him a serious face in return. He saw the small metal wristband connected to Sasuke's arm, and figured out that it was a tracking machine from the green light that shone from it.

Blond bangs covered Naruto's usual cheerful eyes as he continued walking forward as if nothing were there. He brushed passed Sakura, and as he was moving passed her, Sakura felt as though he was moving passed in slow motion.

Sakura kept her gaze forward, blinking rapidly for a few seconds to rid the tears that were swelling up in her eyes. "Sakura," Sasuke said. She understood what he wanted, and she knew that he was trying to be sympathetic to what was going on with her in his own way, even if he wasn't showing it.

"Right," Sakura said, her voice a hoarse whisper as they continued walking back to his house.

She took one last glance at Naruto who was still walking forward towards the Hokage Mansion, mouthing the words, "I'm sorry."

-

-

-

"You'll stay here," Sasuke told her, gesturing towards a guest room in his house. "My room is just across the hall, a few feet away."

"So we we'll still be within ten feet?" Sakura asked, and Sasuke answered by nodding. "Alright," Sakura said, tossing her suitcase towards the corner of her room. "Thank you, Sasuke." He nodded once again, heading off towards his own room and closing his door.

She sat down on the small bed in the room, letting silent tears escape her eyes. _No one trusts me anymore, and I doubt they're going to give me another chance._ _I knew that everyone was going to treat me different when I said I would come back here, but I didn't think it would hurt this much._

She quickly wiped away the tears, lying down on her side on top of the mattress. Her eyes flickered towards the clock, seeing that it read _7:30 p.m._ She closed her eyes and decided to try and get some sleep since she was still exhausted from the shot that Shizune had given her.

_-A few hours later-_

Sakura twisted and turned around in the bed, her bed sheets tossed on the floor, her eyes shut tight. Her face was covered with light sweat. Her eyes shot open, her body jerking forward as she panted quietly to herself. _**I think the guilt's giving you nightmares. **_Inner Sakura stated.

Sakura sighed, her eyes glancing at the clock once again. _1:37 a.m. _it read. She got up, walking towards the door. It wasn't till she was in the hallway that she realized her body was trembling hard.

She went across the room, slowly creeping Sasuke's door open. She poked her head inside, seeing the Uchiha sound asleep. When she took one step inside, Sasuke's body jerked up, eyes flashed with the Sharingan. Sakura jumped back from the sudden movement, but then regained her compsure when she saw Sasuke's piercing red eyes go back to it's calm onyx.

"Sakura," he said. "Do you have any idea what time it is?"

The moonlight bathed the room with a white glow, and from that Sakura could see that Sasuke was shirtless and merely wearing a pair of boxers. Her face blushed prettily as she fisted the hem of her long t-shirt. "Sorry, Sasuke…" she started. "It's just… I can't sleep."

She walked towards the window, looking at the large full moon shining brightly in the pitch-black sky.

Sasuke got up, tossing his blanket aside as he swung his legs over. His elbows rested on his knees as he leaned forward. "You can't sleep," he said, repeating her reason of why she was currently in his room.

"Yes…"

He stood up, walking towards the window as he looked at the outside. "I'm sorry to wake you up about this." She said in a quiet voice. She looked up at him as he looked down at her, the moonlight reflecting on her emerald eyes that were moist with tears at the corners.

"Sakura…"

Uncontrollably she latched herself onto him, her hands grasping his broad shoulders tightly as she slumped against him, wet tears hitting his bare skin. Sasuke reflexively put an arm around her waist to prevent her from falling to the ground. "I'm s-sorry…" she apologized again, choking on sobs. "It's j-just… hard to deal w-with the ch-changes."

His eyes somewhat narrowed as he looked down at her. He knew why she was breaking down, after all, everyone that had deep trust in her doesn't want anything to do with her. It was understandable that she couldn't keep the emotions in herself.

Sasuke slowly moved to sit down on the windowsill, his back leaning against the side of the windowpane as he looked at the dark sky with an empty gaze. Sakura legs danged against the edge of the windowpane, the side of her head resting against his chest as her hands both clasped each other in front of her chest. Quiet sobs escaped her throat, "S-Sorry—"

"Stop apologizing," he told her quietly. She sniffed in respond. She settled down, her body not trembling as much as it was before.

"Thank you Sasuke…kun. You didn't have to be the one to watch me over probation you know, you could've just told Tsunade-sama 'no'." Sasuke shrugged, eyes still looking at the sky.

"Sakura—" Sasuke looked down, only to find Sakura sound asleep, her breath even and her eyes closed. He grunted, his arm still slung around her waist to keep her from falling, her head resting against his chest as her body leaned against him.

He leaned his head back on the windowsill, closing his eyes as he let the pink-haired girl rest against him.

**A/N:**** Weird ending, ne? Well, this whole chapter was made with the help from my sister, so you guys, you owe her a BIG thank you! I would have never gotten this idea if it weren't for her. READ MY PROFILE, her username is on it. Yes, she has a fanfiction account. So go check it out!**

**Read and review!**


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N:**** The Final Chapter.**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto.

* * *

**Betrayal – Chapter 19**

-

_2 months later_

-

Days had slowly faded to weeks as time went by, which had faded into months. Sakura walked along, green eyes swaying left to right as she looked over Konoha. Most of her destruction had been repaired by the work of the villagers**, **and although she still received glares, the pink-haired girl had received some forgiveness as well.

She had received forgiveness because it was reportedly seen many times that Haruno Sakura herself was helping alongside villagers repair the damage that she had caused.

"Sasuke-kun, over here," the girl said as she beckoned the Uchiha to follow.

A soft breeze swept by as the medic nin's pink hair brushed aside, hitting her face gently. Her eyes moved towards the area behind her where she could sense the young Uchiha following reluctantly behind her. Even though she couldn't see him, Sakura knew that Sasuke occasionally glared at the bracelet connected to his wrist. Absent-mindedly looking down to her ankle brace, Sakura smiled slightly. _At least some things haven't changed, _she thought.

From her peripheral vision, the Hokage's apprentice caught sight of a blonde blob. Craning her neck, she noticed it was Yamanaka Ino. The said girl looked at the Haruno in return, a small smile gracing her features. Yes, after a few weeks, the blonde kunoichi had grown some empathy towards the medic, and had softened up on her and forgave her eventually.

As both Sasuke and Sakura continued to walk, Sakura looked around at the construction workers repairing the damage she had done. She still felt some guilt from the incident that had occurred two months ago.

"I'm going to help fix things today," Sakura stated for the Uchiha to hear.

He looked at her, her back facing him as she looked towards the sky. The man could just see the small smile on her face.

His face remained blank as he quirked an eyebrow. "Again?" he asked, knowing he would have to follow her around reluctantly once again as he had been doing for the passed month. He gave a light scowl as he looked at the metal bracelet attached to his arm, knowing he couldn't be a certain distance away from her or else it would go off.

It was just last month when Sakura came to the idea that a way she could earn the respect and forgiveness of her fellow villagers again was to help repair all the damage she had caused. And so, beside every peasant or construction worker patching up things, you could see a girl with distinct pink hair right beside them with fixing tools in hand, sweating alongside the hard workers.

Sasuke had been there as well of course, and to pass the time he merely leaned against a wall, arms folded over his chest, his eyes closed as his face held a serene look. He would sometimes glance at her, noticing how the sweat would glisten on her face when the sun hit her and how she would wipe her brow before getting back to work.

"Yes, again, Sasuke-kun," the pink-haired girl responded to the avenger. She turned towards him with a side-glance, brilliant jade orbs locking with charcoal ones. "I still haven't been forgiven completely, now have I?" Her eyes pointed to a couple of villagers that were giving her scowls.

Sasuke's mouth frowned slightly as he averted his eyes elsewhere. "Hn."

Sakura knew he could easily just use force so he wouldn't be stuck doing nothing while she worked, and was therefore grateful that he let her do her business.

Turning so her back was facing him once again, Sakura pointed to a building where the sign and rooftop had been chipped, cracked, and damaged elsewhere. Assembly workers were already working, making a new sign and hammering in a new roof.

"I'll start there," stated she, as she went over and immediately started socializing with the workers. They smiled at her, always welcoming a helping hand.

Sasuke watched her with a slight lack of interest. Then he sensed a familiar chakra, one he had been sensing all month when she started working. Shifting his eyes to his right, he saw familiar spiky blonde hair and bright blue eyes missing a familiar smile.

Little did Sakura know but Sasuke knew that Naruto had been taken notice of her assisting actions, always watching her carefully. His face would grow distant but not a smile would appear on his face.

He would continuously watch her for a few movements, blink and then turn away and walk the other direction, not a word leaving from his mouth, a strange act coming from one as talkative as himself.

But as usual, Sasuke would say nothing, not to Naruto or to Sakura. He had decided he would wait for her to realize Naruto's watching, since he was also curious of what his ex best friend would do.

-

_Another month later…_

-

"Just a couple more buildings to fix, Sasuke-kun, and I'm sure it'll only take a few more weeks!" Sakura told the Uchiha Prodigy as the man grunted, a light scowl on his pale features, as he said nothing.

Slowly Sakura's footsteps came to a halt, causing Sasuke to _almost _bump into, having not paid attention to the fact that she had stopped walking. The young kunoichi sighed. Craning her neck to her left, she looked at the statues of the past and present Hokage. Her minions had chipped some of the parts of the statues when shinobi lead by Sakura three months previous had attacked the village.

Her emerald orbs widened slightly when she caught sight of an orange and golden yellow figure standing atop one of the Hokage statues. He had repairing tools next to him as the boy worked, repairing the statues that would one day hold his face, or so he dreamed—the face of Uzumaki Naruto.

_Naruto… _Sakura thought, a small frown on her face. _It's been three months, and you still probably haven't forgiven me. _

_**Well, you guys haven't spoken a word to each other for three months, **_Inner Sakura chimed in. _**Why don't you go over and lend a hand fixing the statues?**_

The kunoichi mentally cringed. _I don't know… _

"Sakura," The Uchiha said, bringing the girl out of her thoughts. His voice was slightly impatient. "Are you going to stand there thinking all day or actually do something?"

Sakura laughed quietly at herself. _Well, here goes nothing. _

"I'm going to help fix the Hokage statues today."

Sasuke glanced over at the sculptures. He already knew Naruto was there.

"Then go do it."

Sakura nodded, smiling as she made a hand seal and with a _poof! _she vanished. Sasuke followed her a couple seconds later.

The Uchiha Prodigy sat on a nearby rooftop as Sakura landed on the Nidaime (Second) Hokage's statue. Naruto was repairing on the Yondaime's (Fourth's) statue, working at the sculpture with great care.

Easily skipping or the Third's statue, Sakura landed on the Fourth's. The blonde shinobi glanced at her with a side view, his eyes widening slightly as he looked at her for a few moments before getting back to work, saying nothing.

Sakura forced herself to smile a gentle smile, despite the sadness she felt at his response to her being there.

"Mind if I give you a hand?" she asked softly.

As Naruto sculpted the statue he looked at the pink-haired girl beside him. Almost inaudibly, he replied, "Why? So when it's fixed you can wreck it and lose my trust in you again?"

Sakura's emerald orbs widened slightly at the sound of his voice. It was foreign to her, having not heard it in so long. But she was hurt at the tone of his voice, the emptiness and sadness she heard in it.

"I promise you that will never happen again," she replied delicately.

"How do I know you aren't lying?" he was frowning as he worked, his eyes holding gloom.

"…" She said nothing, looking at him as she heaved a small sigh. "You just have to trust me."

_I want to, _stated the kyuubi vessel in his mind. He remained silent as he kept chiseling the Yondaime's bust.

"So, can I help you?"

Naruto looked at her, and this time Sakura could see his eyes held less sadness in them. He gave her a small grin, pushing a small bucket full of sculpting tools towards her.

"Go for it."

At that simple sentence, Sakura smiled genuinely, feeling like she had just gotten back her best friend. She went over and hugged him, causing the blonde boy to drop his tools, but he didn't mind. For he smiled too, feeling like he had just got his best friend back as well, returning her hug with a genuine grin on his face, something his face hadn't felt for a long while.

As she released him from her embrace, she picked up some tools and started working.

A few hours passed and finally all the statues had been fixed. Sasuke had moved places every now and then, thinking of new training exercises he could to do become stronger.

"Phew!" Sakura breathed, wiping her brow. "Finally done."

Naruto chuckled.

"Ne, Sakura-chan," Naruto called, and Sakura smiled at him, pleased he attached the familiar suffix next to her name. "So, now that we're done…" He gave her a foxy, goofy grin.

"How about some Ichiraku ramen?"

-

_3 months later…_

-

"Wow, six months already!" Sakura said, surprise laced in her tone as she had received the scroll of the Hokage summoning her. Her punishment for treason against the village had finally been decided, and her probation was now over. "Times really does fly."

"Aa," Sasuke mumbled, taking the scroll from her as he read over it's content.

"Tsunade-shishou wants us there at noon," Sakura informed the avenger. "Finally, we can take these tracking devices off."

Sasuke nodded, rolling up the scroll as he started walking towards the door, tossing the scroll to Sakura at the same time. Sakura rose her eyebrow at his actions. "Where are you going?"

"Training," he told her nonchalantly. "Let's go."

Sakura put the scroll on a nearby table as she followed the raven-haired man out the door, closing it behind her.

"Hey Sakura-chan, Sasuke," Naruto greeted with a grin and wave of his hand. "Going training teme?"

Sasuke looked at him, nudging his head towards the forest with a smirk. "Aa, let's go."

Naruto laughed, arms folding behind his head. "Does someone want to get his ass kicked again?"

Sasuke scoffed, "I let you win."

This time it was Naruto's turn to raise his eyebrow. "Really? But don't Uchihas _hate_ to lose?"

Sasuke smirked, "It's not losing when you lose to a loser."

Naruto scowled at him, "Why you—!"

"Come on, you two. Quit bickering and start training," Sakura scolded the two lightly, their fighting reminding her of old Team Kakashi memories.

"Stay close this time, Sakura," Sasuke told her and Sakura laughed. She remembered the last time Naruto and Sasuke had trained, and as they fought intensely both Sasuke and Sakura forgot about the limited distance between the two that was allowed.

The loud beeping that erupted from them being too far apart for too long caught Sasuke off guard, allowing Naruto to grin victoriously as he did the Uzumaki Naruto barrage as a finishing blow to his opponent.

ANBU had come, thinking one (as in Sakura) had escaped as they were alerted from the beeping, and after being interrogated by Ibiki harshly as they constantly explained that it had only been training, they were finally let go.

"Don't worry, I will," Sakura reassured him.

-

-

-

A knock was heard on the door.

"Come in," came the voice from the Godaime. She glanced at the clock. _12:00 _it read. She stopped her working, straightening up as she rested her elbows on her mahogany desk, her hands clasped together in front of the blonde woman's mouth.

Sasuke and Sakura entered the room silently as Sakura held her hands together in front of her, anxious to hear what the female Hokage had to say.

"Haruno Sakura, it's been six months since you've been on probation. Except for the incident about the training, your devices haven't rang at all. You've also been seen repairing parts of the village and were on good behavior, and you have earned the respect of the villagers once again throughout this whole time." After a quick breath of air, Tsunade went on. "Is there anything you'd like to say before you hear the outcome of your crime?"

Sasuke glanced at her as Sakura's hands fidgeted silently. "No, Tsunade-shishou," the said girl said, her head shaking left to right.

"Alright then," stated Tsunade. "After intense debating, Sakura, you narrowly escaped the death penalty."

"The death penalty?" the girl questioned. "But isn't that a little harsh—"

"I and the Village Elders were also informed from a reliable source that you were taking important information on Konoha and feeding it to Orochimaru." Tsunade's voice was hard and firm. "The fact that you escaped the death penalty is a great grace given to you."

Sakura let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding.

"You were a spy in our village, a well trained one and a smart one. You attacked Konohagakure and you shared some forbidden secrets with the enemy," the woman repeated Sakura's crimes.

Tsunade's mouth was set in a firm, grim line as her golden almond orbs held some sadness but firmness as she did her duty.

"It has been decided that you will be exiled from the Fire Country."

Sasuke's onyx orbs grew at her announcement as he immediately flashed his eyes on Sakura.

All the pink-haired girl could do was stare at her former mentor, speechless.

**THE END.**

* * *

**A/N:****I know, you probably are wanting to kill me for giving you that ending after such a long wait. I kind of wanted an ending where the reader has to think of what happens to Sakura now, and what she's going to do, and to think of how Sakura worked hard fixing everything she had destroyed, and in a way did it all for nothing because she wouldn't be able to enjoy the result.**

**Hah, sounds kind of cruel I guess. But better than ending with the death penalty, ne?**

**My sister says I should write an epilogue but I kind of don't want to, honestly. So I'll leave it up to you, the reader, to imagine what happens to Sakura.**

**Thanks everyone who read and enjoyed this story! Every review always lifted my spirits and I hope you liked it!**


End file.
